North Carolina’s leading malpractice insurance provider cut premiums in response to tort reforms enacted last year. This is good news for patients and providers seeking lower health care costs. By contrast, the Associated Press wired details of North Carolina’s exploding Medicaid deficit to Bloomberg Businessweek in early April. National coverage didn’t include a $320 million [...]
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Insuring a great state (part 3): state budgets, Supreme Court in the balance over Obamacare
The second day of U.S. Supreme Court hearings on Obamacare produced narrow, nuanced arguments over its individual mandate. President Obama drew criticism for calling the potential overturn “an unprecedented, extraordinary step,” while the White House diverted $500 million to fund the law’s implementation outside the standard appropriations process.
Insuring a great state: a four part series on liability coverage in N.C.
Though rarely comprising a campaign soundbite, insurance regulations impact residents’ wallets every month. Three sectors of statewide public policy could undergo major insurance reforms this year. In a four part series I’ll address challenges facing auto insurance, the Beach Plan and health care coverage in North Carolina. Today I’ll explain how a hidden fee on [...]
Lost in transportation: taming the travel bugs in government
The ports in our region, like much of the transportation infrastructure in North Carolina, are at a turning point. Impending decisions about the funding and future direction of these assets will have a lasting impact on our state. When governments consider a new transportation project the financial burden for taxpayers is often unclear. Construction costs [...]
Opinion Editorial – Reconsider DNC union contracts
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is slated to come to Charlotte in September 2012, bringing upwards of 40,000 delegates, media representatives and visitors with it. This event will provide a much needed economic boost to our state. As a member of the North Carolina Senate and the owner of two companies, I understand the struggles [...]
DNC to use North Carolina resources, not workers
The N.C. House of Representatives recently passed a resolution asking the Democratic National Convention not to favor unions when awarding contracts for next year’s event in Charlotte.
UNCW reports economic impact of Azalea Festival
Thank you to the UNCW graduate students and faculty who measured the economic effect of the Azalea Festival for the first time. This article details the spending and volunteer hours that benefit our region through the festival and its rich tradition.
Rep. Mike Hager reports on natural gas production
Gov. Perdue issued a letter to the General Assembly today urging inaction on her veto of the Energy Jobs Act. Her criticism of natural gas production as a non-starter for our economic troubles and a danger to the environment contrasts with statements from Rep. Mike Hager, a Republican from Rutherford County. Rep. Hager recently visited [...]
Medical malpractice reform bill passes with bipartisan support
The North Carolina Senate passed a bipartisan compromise that reforms the state’s medical malpractice laws, a move that will help attract new jobs and high quality medical personnel and make health care more affordable and accessible for all North Carolinians. Like the original version of Senate Bill 33, the conference report sets a $500,000 cap [...]
Burdensome Regulations
The General Assembly passed sweeping changes to the state’s regulatory environment that will simplify outdated rules and regulations. More than 15,000 new or amended regulations have hit the books over the past decade. Many are complex, confusing, and unnecessary rules that are imposed by unelected bureaucrats and cause uncertainty for the state’s businesses. The bill [...]
Tax Reform
We kept our promise to the voters not to raise their taxes. We enacted tax reforms that will jump start the economy by helping the private sector create thousands of new jobs. The state budget eliminates a nearly $1 billion “temporary” sales tax hike that Gov. Perdue and legislative Democrats raised in the peak of [...]
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