With November just around the corner it will soon be time once again for open enrollment season So you'll need to consider what your healthcare needs will be in On today's MoneyWise Live host Rob West will talk with Lauren Gajdek of Christian Healthcare Ministries about a great way to meet your healthcare expenses and save money at the same time Then Rob will answer your calls and questions on various financial topics See omnystudio com listener for privacy information [... more]

Pre-existing conditions prevent many people from obtaining long term care insurance and specifically home health care insurance Hans goes over solutions for consumers with pre-existing conditions through age who want to protect themselves against the high cost of bringing help into their home Don't forget to get your copy of The Complete Cardinal Guide to Planning for and Living in Retirement on Amazon or on CardinalGuide com for free You can contact Hans and Cardinal by emailing hans cardinalguide com or calling - - Learn more at CardinalGuide com [... more]

Duke Energy and Dominion Energy have decided to pull the plug on the Atlantic Coast Pipeline The pipeline had faced multiple legal challenges and permitting delays Donald van der Vaart John Locke Foundation senior fellow analyzes the reasons guiding the ACP owners' decision Van der Vaart also discusses the impact for N C electricity ratepayers U S Rep Greg Murphy R- rd District brings an interesting perspective to the COVID- policy debate Murphy is a physician He understands more about COVID- 's health implications than most policymakers Murphy shared his concerns about North Carolina's coronavirus response during a recent Raleigh [... more]

Debate about public education in North Carolina gets bogged down by some popular myths The myths include misconceptions about teacher pay and the impact of school choice on public school enrollment Terry Stoops John Locke Foundation vice president for research and director of education studies addresses those myths and attempts to correct the record Occupational licensing laws limit economic opportunities in North Carolina During a recent speech for the Federalist Society in Raleigh attorney Justin Pearson of the Institute for Justice explained how Pearson shares highlights from that presentation in a one-on-one interview The University of North Carolina System has [... more]

With the N C General Assembly wrapping up work for the year now is a good time to review some of the year's victories for the freedom movement Becki Gray John Locke Foundation senior vice president focuses on advances in taxes spending regulation education choice and criminal law reform She also places this year's events in the broader context of changes seen since Republicans took over the legislature at the beginning of the decade Medicine continues to make major advances But most of those advances involve new treatments for diseases We've seen very few cures in recent years Rep Jim [... more]

Gov Roy Cooper recently signed into law Senate Bill It marks the latest step in an ongoing campaign to fight overcriminalization in North Carolina Mike Schietzelt John Locke Foundation criminal justice fellow explains how the new legislation fits with the goal of cleaning up the state's overly complicated criminal code Overly burdensome occupational licensing rules restrict economic freedom in both North Carolina and South Carolina During a recent meeting in Winston-Salem the group Classical Liberals in the Carolinas learned how Jon Sanders John Locke Foundation director of regulatory studies focused attention on North Carolina's licensing restrictions Jennifer McDonald senior research [... more]

N C policymakers recently learned that state government ended its last budget year in June with a revenue surplus of nearly million Meanwhile Gov Roy Cooper wants the state to borrow more money as it increases spending in the new budget year and beyond Joseph Coletti John Locke Foundation senior fellow places those facts in the broader context of North Carolina's fiscal picture State Treasurer Dale Folwell has seen pushback from large medical providers as he has proceeded with his Clear Pricing Project for the State Health Plan It serves government workers and retirees Folwell discusses the project and explains [... more]

Health care providers in North Carolina need a government permission slip called a certificate of need before they can add hospital beds build new facilities or purchase major pieces of equipment Health care reforms say scrapping CON requirements would boost health care innovation in this state Jordan Roberts John Locke Foundation health policy analyst discusses legislative efforts to scale back or eliminate state CON restrictions Reformers have been targeting the formula North Carolina uses to fund public schools across the state Aaron Smith education policy analyst for the libertarian Reason Foundation has been watching the debate with interest Smith explains [... more]

North Carolina has been able to cut tax rates in recent years without having to slash state services That's thanks to sustainable budget practices Joseph Coletti John Locke Foundation senior fellow outlines several key steps lawmakers have taken to pursue sustainable budgets When Margaret Spellings wrapped up her tenure as president of the University of North Carolina System she offered the Board of Governors a positive assessment of UNC's current state Shannon Watkins policy associate at the James G Martin Center for Academic Renewal says Spellings and other university leaders might be viewing UNC through rose-colored glasses Watkins explains why [... more]

A recent Civitas poll suggests North Carolina will continue to play a role as an election battleground state in Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief dissects the poll's key findings Henderson assesses the implications for Tar Heel politics during the next two years Partisans on both the left and right tend to agree that our political debates have become far too polarized In a recent column for National Review Online John Locke Foundation Chairman John Hood offered ideas for addressing the crippling level of polarization Hood highlighted the work of North Carolina's bipartisan Leadership Forum Today's economy requires an increased role [... more]

The U S economy has posted impressive gains recently Both President Trump and former President Barack Obama are claiming credit Roy Cordato the John Locke Foundation's senior economist puts the competing claims to the test A Winston-Salem surgeon is taking North Carolina state government to court because of a law that blocks him from purchasing an MRI scanner Dr Gajendra Singh says the scanner would help him provide a valuable service to his patients at a reasonable cost North Carolina's certificate-of-need law blocks Singh from making the purchase Singh and his attorney Josh Windham of the Institute for Justice explain [... more]

State Treasurer Dale Folwell has made headlines in recent weeks He's proposed that any new statewide bond package should face a voter referendum He's working to help reduce State Health Plan costs He's advocating pension reforms related to spiking and government workers convicted of crimes Rick Henderson Carolina Journal editor-in-chief analyzes Folwell's high-profile activity No one knows all of the crimes created in North Carolina Not even the woman who literally wrote the state's book on criminal law Jessica Smith professor of public law and government at the UNC School of Government says hundreds of crimes are scattered across more [... more]

Gov Roy Cooper recently announced a statewide drive to collect classroom supplies for public schools Terry Stoops the John Locke Foundation's vice president for research examines Cooper's proposal and discusses a curious double standard about private companies profiting from public education North Carolina state government has been dealing with budget surpluses in recent years But State Treasurer Dale Folwell is highlighting a long-term budget challenge Folwell says unfunded liabilities for state retiree pension and health benefits will consume billions of dollars from the budget in the coming years Folwell wants to see structural changes that will help North Carolina deal [... more]

An increased focus on direct primary care could lead to major benefits in the fight against chronic diseases that lead to disabilities That's the conclusion of the latest report from Katherine Restrepo the John Locke Foundation's director of health care policy Restrepo explains why DPC holds so much promise for addressing one of the most vexing problems in American health care As policymakers in Washington consider potential repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act one observer who's watching their actions closely is Tevi Troy chief executive officer of the American Health Policy Institute Troy is also former deputy secretary [... more]

North Carolina's maze of alcohol regulations stands in the way of entrepreneurs trying to expand a growing industry in the state Jon Guze John Locke Foundation director of legal studies outlines the complicated regulatory scheme in a recent report He also calls for a rollback of regulatory overreach that would help the economy and enhance freedom within the state Politics tends to influence central bankers and the results often to lead to bad news for the economy That's the argument from Wake Forest University economist John Wood He cites historical examples of political influence that have led central bankers away [... more]