This story has been updated with additional information. By Will Atwater In North Carolina, debates over how to regulate emerging water contaminants are moving from the lab to the policy arena — and this week, those debates could translate into binding policy. The North Carolina Environmental Management Commission, which sets statewide water quality standards, is […]
Posted inDisabilities
What to know before getting a service dog in NC: training, costs and red flags
By Jennifer Fernandez Late last year, an Apex man pleaded guilty in connection with a now-shuttered nonprofit accused of selling poorly trained, or untrained and aggressive dogs to families seeking service animals for their children with disabilities. Victims paid between $4,500 and $16,710 for Briard breed dogs that Ry-Con owner Mark Mathis said were trained […]
Posted inState Health Policy
NC state retirees challenged health plan benefit changes 13 years ago. They’re still fighting.
By Anne Blythe More than 13 years have passed since a group of prominent state retirees filed a lawsuit challenging what was then a new state law that required them to start paying for health care benefits they had received free of charge for years as part of their benefits package. Now, attorneys for the […]
Posted inState Health Policy
From child welfare to climate: Top NC health stories to watch in 2026
By Will Atwater, Jaymie Baxley, Anne Blythe, Rachel Crumpler, Jennifer Fernandez, Rose Hoban and Taylor Knopf Making predictions in the current political and social environment — particularly about health care — can be a tricky business. As the great Yogi Berra quipped, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Case in point, who […]
Posted inHealth Insurance
Why are health coverage costs increasing under the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina?
NC Local What you need to know What is the Affordable Care Act? Signed into law in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama, the Affordable Care Act expanded health care coverage for millions of Americans. The law created tax credits to help lower out-of-pocket costs. It also barred insurers from charging people with pre-existing health conditions […]
Posted inMental Health
What piqued readers’ interest in 2025? Six stories of reckonings in NC’s health care system.
By Taylor Knopf, Rachel Crumpler, Jennifer Fernandez, Rose Hoban, Jaymie Baxley and Ashley Fredde When patients feel mistreated, it’s become difficult to find recourse in the courts. A law passed in 2009 makes it challenging — if not impossible — for patients to sue providers for malpractice. Sometimes their only recourse is to reach out […]