Community News

RALEIGH, NC – February 1, 2024 – The latest update of the NC Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Dashboard was on February 1^st. Last month, enrollment in NC increased by more than 32 thousand to more than 346 thousand people. Buncombe County enrollment increased by about 1,200 to almost 8,600 people. When the COVID national emergency ended in April, the first Medicaid expansion (ME) enrollees lost their full-benefit Medicaid insurance because they made too much money. However, NC HHS enrolled them in a limited Medicaid benefit plan that provides family planning benefits before advancing them back to Medicaid after the expansion on December 1^st. There were about 270 thousand North Carolinians, including more than 6 thousand people from Buncombe County, who became the first automatic enrollees. It is estimated that a total of 600 thousand North Carolinians will be eligible for ME, including almost 17 thousand from Buncombe County. Based on these estimates, there is about 250 thousand more North Carolinians and 8.5 thousand more people from Buncombe County who can qualify. In only 2 months of accepting applications, the state is more than half-way to enrolling all eligible persons for ME and so is Buncombe County.

On December 1^st, North Carolina officially became the 40^th state to expand Medicaid, the federal program for health insurance for low-resource individuals. ME increases health care access to eligible North Carolinians ages 19-64 and their families with earnings to 138 percent of the federal poverty level from 100 percent, based on their household size. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) dashboard to track ME enrollment is at medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/reports.

There are many ways to apply for NC Medicaid. Applications can be taken by phone, email, fax, or in person. Buncombe County residents can apply for Medicaid online and at any time at ePASS.NC.gov. Applications can be done in-person at the HHS Building on 40 Coxe Avenue, by calling 828-250-5500, or by mail. A printable application can be obtained online at the NCDHHS website.

Kody Kinsley, the head of the NCDHHS, released a statement when ME became available in the state, “Hundreds of people each day are gaining health care coverage and getting the care they need. Our work continues with state and community partners to support enrollment efforts to ensure as many people as possible can get covered.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

ASHEVILLE, NC –  February 21, 2024 – There was a surge of respiratory viral infections due to an increase in indoor gatherings and travel during the holidays; however, we are past the holiday season peak.

The COVID-19 metrics are on the CDC’s COVID Dashboard. For the week ending on February 10^th  

• Hospital admission levels are low in about 85% of the counties in North Carolina, including Buncombe County, and high in 0%. They are low in almost 90% of the counties in the U.S. and high in less than 1%. Admissions have increased in the U.S. by less than 1%, increased in North Carolina by about 3% and decreased in Buncombe County by 15% from the previous week.
• About 3% of the deaths in North Carolina were due to COVID, the 3^rd lowest level of 6 groups.
• Emergency room visits for COVID-19 are low in North Carolina. This represents about 3% of all ER visits, the 2^nd lowest level of 5 groups, and stable from the previous week.

Wastewater monitoring can be used to provide early warning for COVID outbreaks. The Buncombe & Henderson counties wastewater data for the week ending on February 7^th is on the North Carolina COVID Dashboard.

• The number of viral gene copies in each water sample is at a red level representing the highest level of 5 groups, currently between the 80^th and 100^th percentile relative to the past level measured at the same site.
• The 15-day rate of change of the number of viral gene copies in each water sample has decreased from the previous week, at -99% to -10%, the lowest level of 2 groups for a negative rate of change.

The CDC’s weekly flu surveillance report for the week ending on February 10^th indicates that levels are either high or very high for most southern states from New Mexico to the East coast. North Carolina is at a high level.

The CDC reports that the 3-week average for the percent positivity for RSV PCR tests in North Carolina reached a peak of almost 15% around Thanksgiving. The most recent report for the week ending on February 10^th shows that percent positivity continues to decrease to just above 2%.

The North Carolina Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard for the week ending on February 10^th shows that

• The percentage of emergency room visits for people with respiratory virus symptoms has decreased.
• Hospital admissions have increased for COVID and decreased for the flu.
• There were more admissions for COVID than the flu.

Dr. Mandy Cohen, the CDC director, told Yahoo Life, if you are starting to feel sick with a cough, sore throat or fever: get tested, get treatment, and stay home.

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]

Think your vote doesn’t count? From your friends at Asheville FM, GO VOTE! We’re here to tell you that your vote does matter, especially in our local elections as well as for district mapping. Your vote isn’t just for the seats in Washington DC, it’s to accurately represent and support folks on the ground in Asheville and Buncombe County. Get to know your candidates and learn where you can place your vote by visiting vote411.org. Primary elections are on March 5. Tell your friends!

WASHINGTON, DC – February 7, 2024 – On February 7^th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Biden Administration issued a new rule that sets tougher standards for soot pollution. Reducing fine particulate pollution (soot) from tailpipes, smokestacks and other industrial sources can improve America’s health. Soot inhalation is associated with many health problems including heart disease and lung cancer. Soot is the popular term for fine particulate matter up to 2.5 microns in diameter, much smaller than a human hair. When we inhale, these particles can travel to narrow passages in the lung.

EPA administrator Michael Regan said that the new restrictions can save $46 billion in health benefits and can prevent more than 4 thousand premature deaths and 800 thousand asthma attacks. Regan adds that vulnerable groups will benefit including children, seniors, persons with heart and lung disease, and persons suffering from environmental injustice from industrial pollution like low-resource and minority communities.

The rule sets an air quality level that states and counties must achieve to reduce pollution from motor vehicles, industrial sites, and wildfires. The most recent restrictions were set down 12 years ago by the Obama administration. The new rule sets maximum levels of 9 micrograms of fine particulate pollution per cubic meter of air, down from 12 micrograms. Technical improvements have allowed for soot restrictions to be lowered, so soot pollution has decreased by more than 40% since 2000.

The EPA will sample air quality to identify counties and regions that do not meet the new standard. Offending states will have 18 months to develop a compliance plan for those regions. Penalties will be imposed on states who do not meet the new standard by 2032. The EPA expects that almost every county in the U.S. will meet the standard. Each state EPA department will be able to develop local rules to target point-source polluters like power plants, specific motor vehicles, and other industrial sources.

According to the American Lung Association’s 2023 annual report, more than 60 million people live in counties that have polluted air from daily spikes of soot and almost 19 million persons live in counties whose air exceeds the annual limit for soot pollution. People of color were almost 4 times more likely than white people to live in a county with poor air quality.

Many industry groups feel that the stricter pollution restrictions can lead to loss of manufacturing jobs, threaten economic growth, and may result in the closure of power plants and refineries. However, President Biden disagrees. He told reporters on February 6^th that “healthy people equal a healthy economy. We do not have to sacrifice people to have a prosperous and booming economy.”

Listen to the full report below:

Contact: Dr. Dick Needleman, Health reporter, 103.3 AshevilleFM, [email protected]