Adam Searing « The Progressive Pulse

NC Gov. McCrory: NC tax reform must be “revenue neutral”

June 17, 2013 at 3:43 pmCategory:Uncategorized

From his inaugural State of the State speech to interviews just a few weeks ago, NC Governor Pat McCrory has repeatedly proclaimed the critical importance of any tax reform in North Carolina being “revenue neutral.” Indeed, in the State of the State speech he emphasized the need to protect NC’s vital services – like health care – in any reform. McCrory is now presented with tax reform plans from the NC House and Senate that far from being “revenue neutral” cut literally billions of dollars from NC’s state budget over the next few years. How will he react to this challenge to one of his bedrock principles on tax reform?

Greenways still cut in NC Senate budget

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June 14, 2013 at 2:25 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by Adam Searing

Last week I wrote about the large and immediate cut to pedestrian and bike greenway funding in the NC Senate’s version of the budget. Well that budget cut is still in the final version. It’s delayed for some current projects, but puts NC on the road (not bikeway) to funding elimination. Some folks who have contacted their Senators are getting the usual attempt-to-confuse-the-issue answers from their representatives. The particular line is the old unpopular budget cutter’s saw, “flexibility.” As in: ”Oh, we are giving cities flexibility to fund greenways out of other pots of money, so this really isn’t a cut that hurts.” Well, there is a cut, it is to greenways, and it will mean less money for building stuff other than roads.

Don’t believe me? Look at NC Senator Apodaca’s quote in Bruce Siceloff’s N+O story yesterday. I’d say it about sums it up:

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NC Medicaid Success: Four charts and one letter

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June 12, 2013 at 3:28 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by Adam Searing

The following four charts demonstrate why NC Medicaid, far from being “broken” or worthy as a scapegoat for every unpopular budget decision made by the NC General Assembly, is containing costs better than any Medicaid program in the country while helping create better health for North Carolinians. The letter reproduced after the charts shows how disingenuous the “Medicaid is over budget” claim is by Governor McCrory and legislators.

1. NC Medicaid cost growth is very low. Just plotting some simple data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the average annual growth in NC’s Medicaid program has declined for the last twenty years and the program is now growing more slowly than the national average. Current annual cost growth for Medicaid in NC is actually the lowest in the nation and much lower than the national average:

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FamiliesUSA’s Ron Pollack: NC Medicaid a national model

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June 11, 2013 at 5:12 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by Adam Searing

At NC Policy Watch’s Crucial Conversation lunch today, Ron Pollack, head of the respected national health care consumer group FamiliesUSA, gave a much-needed counterpoint to the recent Medicaid scapegoating going on in Raleigh. Ron pointed out the low cost growth and excellent care delivered by NC Medicaid, going through the national awards received in recent years by the program. He also called Governor McCrory and the NC General Assembly to account for what he called fiscal malpractice – refusing the billions of dollars the state would get for expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. What a breath of fresh air!

Just another GOP Governor talking point: “Medicaid is broken”

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June 7, 2013 at 4:03 pmCategory:Uncategorized

by Adam Searing

Looks like a memo came down to GOP Governors (including NC Governor Pat McCrory) who don’t want to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act: Just say “Medicaid is broken” again and again and again. In NC, Medicaid has the lowest growth rate in the US and has helped do things like make NC’s infant mortality rate drop at one of the biggest rates in the nation. But don’t let those pesky facts get in the way of a good talking point!

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