North State Journal Vol. 3, Issue 36

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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 36

WWW.NSJONLINE.COM |

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

Inside Freshmen the focus at Duke, Sports

NORTH

STATE

JOURNaL ELEVATE THE CONVERSATION

the Wednesday

NEWS BRIEFING

Parties maneuver one week before election An executive order signed by Cooper Monday directs a focus on clean energy industry and electric cars for state vehicles

By Donna King North State Journal CARY — With a week to go before midterm elections, North Carolina’s governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, signed an executive order Monday directing state agencies to

“address climate change and transition to a clean energy economy.” “It directs actions to increase the number of zero emission vehicles in our state, it orders a clean energy plan and actions to improve state building efficiency, it directs the Dept. of Commerce to

support expansion of clean energy business service providers,” Cooper said in a press conference in front of a solar field at SAS in Cary. In the details of the order, Cooper commits North Carolina to supporting the Paris Climate Accord goals, a 2015 global environmental deal agreed to by President Barak Obama, estimated to cost the U.S. $3 trillion by 2040. See ELECTION, page A2

A Harvest of White House Fun

Early voting passes 2014 levels Raleigh One week ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections, N.C. voters have already cast more early ballots than during the last midterms in 2014. The North Carolina State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement reported Monday that more than 1.22 million people have already voted at early voting sites or by traditional mail-in ballots. Board spokesman Pat Gannon said the 2014 early-vote total of 1.18 million was exceeded earlier in the day. Early inperson voting began Oct. 17 and ends Nov. 3.

Teen shot in head at North Carolina barn party dies Hillsborough A teenager who was shot in the head at a large Halloween party at a barn venue has died. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says 18-yearold Rashiya Melton died Monday. She was found behind the barn early Sunday morning and airlifted to a hospital. A second person was shot in the leg but wouldn’t cooperate with investigators. The sheriff’s office says around 300 people attended the party at Smokehouse Valley Farm, northwest of Hillsborough, and many were high-school age. Police say charges are pending.

JACQUELYN MARTIN | AP PHOTO

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump give candy to children during a Halloween trick-or-treat event at the White House, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Washington.

State Health Plan launches new payment and collection structure With a goal of $300 million in savings to the state and $60 million to Plan members, officials and state employee groups commend seven-year effort

Toddler dies from attack by family dog Rocky Mount Authorities say 1-year-old Triniti Harrell has died from injuries sustained when she was attacked by her family’s dog. The Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office says a 911 call reported a 6-year-old pit bullmix was “slinging the child around in its mouth” and a detective arrived and shot the dog twice. Authorities on scene attempted to stabilize Triniti, who was then taken to a hospital. No charges are expected to be filed.

INSIDE In Jones and Blount, UNC President Margaret Spellings steps down. Jones & Blount

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By Emily Roberson North State Journal CHUCK BURTON | AP PHOTO

Rep. Ted Budd, R-NC, right, speaks as President Donald Trump, center, and Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris, left, listen during a campaign rally in Charlotte, Friday, Oct. 26, 2018.

President Trump visits Charlotte to boost local candidates Ted Budd and Mark Harris get campaign trail backing from Air Force One

“Get them to Washington fast!”

By David Larson For the North State Journal

Donald Trump to Friday’s crowd in Charlotte

RALEIGH — On a cold, rainy Friday, President Donald Trump came to Charlotte’s Bojangles Coliseum and spoke to an enthusiastic crowd to boost Republican voter enthusiasm in what appear to be a pair of close races for U.S. Congress. The president spoke for around an hour and 15 minutes, touching on health care, the caravan of migrants approaching the border and media bias in the wake of a supporter’s attempted bombings of prominent Democratic figures. After running through his stump speech, Trump began introducing a number of politicians and dignitaries, including Sen. Thom Tillis, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and racing legend Richard Childress. But then he pivoted to the true focus of the evening — Congressman Ted Budd and District 9 congressional candidate Mark Harris. “We’re really here for these two — a great congressman now and a soon-to-be congressman,” Trump told the crowd. “They have run fantastic campaigns. They’re doing very well, but honestly, get out and vote.

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Treasury Department has announced a complete overhaul of the State Health Plan reimbursement and collections strategy. The redesign began more than seven years ago when a state audit found that the commercial-based system lacked oversight and had inconsistent pricing guidelines, factors that the department said placed the state at serious financial risk. With a state employee base that exceeds the total number of employees for Amazon, JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway combined, N.C. Treasury Secretary Dale Folwell says that this new plan, which will transition from a commercial-based payment model to a reference-based government pricing model, could not happen soon enough.

The State Audit and UNC Health Care

Let’s not take a chance, OK? Let’s not take a chance.” Budd, who is running against Democrat Kathy Manning, said the “status quo in Washington” is trying to stop Trump at every turn. He says he will help Trump “drain the swamp” in the nation’s capital. Harris, a conservative pastor who defeated incumbent Robert Pittenger in the GOP primary, likewise has a difficult race. He faces 34-year-old Marine veteran Dan McCready, who has done his best to present a moderate, if not conservative, face to a district that demographically favors Republicans. “Get them to Washington fast!” Trump told the crowd. Dr. Brandon Lenoir, professor of political communication and campaigns at High Point University, told the North State Journal that a visit from a sitting president can have a big impact locally.

In the initial 2011 audit, State Auditor Beth Wood’s finding summarized that “the Plan does not follow up on potential overpayments estimated by Plan auditors, does not provided adequate oversight for its recovery audit function, has not taken corrective action to eliminate or reduce potential errors, and cannot independently verify that the Plan receives the proper discount rate on medical claims.” “This is important because the State Health Plan spends $3.3 billion per year on health care for 727,000 public workers, but we don’t know what we’re supposed to be charged”, said Folwell. “We get a bill for services, but we don’t have a price list that shows how much that bill should be for. We think that since taxpayers are footing a large part of the $3.3 billion tab, we ought to know what the health plan should be charged – not just what we’re actually paying.” Folwell noted, however, that it was a herculean task to try to establish a pricing baseline. When Plan auditors and his team at Treasury sought access to vendor contracts to verify payouts and set a starting point for pricing and oversight, their requests to UNC Health Care, the largest hospital system in the state, were not satisfied. Instead, Folwell said, UNC Health Care — or the “state hospital” as he calls it — responded by providing

See TRUMP, page A3

See HEALTHCARE, page A2


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