Carolina Journal Radio No. 879: Coronavirus pandemic highlights government barriers that limit response

The coronavirus scare reminds us about government-erected barriers that stand in the way of an effective response. Jordan Roberts, John Locke Foundation health care policy analyst, discusses policy changes at the state level that would help North Carolina deal better with problems linked to the virus’s spread. Medicaid expansion has dominated the N.C. political debate in recent years. A recent report challenges a key claim from expansion’s proponents: They say the infusion of government money linked to expansion would help shore up struggling rural hospitals. Roy Lenardson, government affairs director with the Foundation for Government Accountability, explains why those claims are wrong. As the coronavirus began to affect patients in North Carolina, state health director Mandy Cohen offered lawmakers updates on the state’s response. You’ll hear highlights from one of those initial briefings. Economic freedom sounds like a good concept. The more one learns about the impact of economic freedom, the better it sounds. Fred McMahon, resident fellow and economic freedom chair at the Fraser Institute, outlines key benefits of freedom. He explains how North Carolina compares to other states in freedom and how the state could improve its national ranking. When Mark Johnson decided to run for another statewide office, he guaranteed that North Carolina would elect a new superintendent of public instruction this year. Terry Stoops, John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies, analyzes the superintendent’s job. He also discusses the two candidates Democrats and Republicans have nominated to replace Johnson.