Legislative Breakfast 2025: A Morning of Statewide Health Advocacy 

On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, FHLI programs, the North Carolina Rural Health Association (NCRHA), the North Carolina Oral Health Collaborative (NCOHC), and the Center of Excellence for Integrative Care (COE) co-hosted our annual Legislative Breakfast.

Health advocates and policymakers from across the state met at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Nature Research Center. They got out early to share a hot meal and discuss ways to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians.

A standing-room-only crowd of over 120 elected officials, health professionals, and advocates came out to hear state legislators and health experts share their perspectives on pressing challenges and opportunities to work together for a healthier future.

We are excited to continue advocating for policies that meaningfully improve the lives of everyone in our state. NCRHA, NCOHC, and COE set specific policy agendas annually. Below, you can learn more about our speakers and 2025-2026 legislative priorities.

Rural NC: Whole-Person, Whole-Community, & Whole-State Health

FHLI Board Member Dr. Cherry Beasley introduced Representative Timothy Reeder from the North Carolina General Assembly. He spoke about the North Carolina House leadership’s priorities for 2025 and expressed his support for FHLI’s slate of policy priorities.

He also expressed interest in finding policy solutions to address prior authorization, which, in its current form, often creates unnecessary barriers and inefficiencies in health care. To address this, he intends to find policy options that save money while reducing the burden on patients seeking care.

FHLI Chief of Staff Dr. Brandy Harrell introduced Josh Dobson from the North Carolina Health Care Association. He discussed the current federal landscape and the risk of Medicaid cuts, specifically highlighting a trigger law in North Carolina that will automatically end Medicaid expansion if federal funding is cut below the current “90-10” split.

Since passing in North Carolina in 2023, Medicaid expansion has opened the door for insurance coverage to more than 628,000 people, a disproportionate percentage of whom live in rural communities.

This year, NCRHA is focusing on expanding and enhancing rural broadband and building a more robust rural health workforce at the federal and state levels:

1. Reliable, high-speed broadband is necessary for accessing telehealth services, learning, connecting socially, growing businesses, and more. Investing in broadband infrastructure serving our rural communities will ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of who they are or where they live.
2. Today, 95 of North Carolina’s 100 counties are still geographic or population Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) for primary care. To ensure every North Carolinian can access care, we must strengthen our rural health system through training programs, loan repayment incentives, and workforce development.

At the state level, NCRHA is also advocating for: 

• Investing in natural disaster resilience. 
• Building a stronger safety net. 
• Supporting maternal and child health. 
• Addressing youth mental health. 

For more information on NCRHA’s priorities, see their 2025 policy agenda, and for more context on the state of health in rural North Carolina, check out the 2025 North Carolina Rural Health Snapshot.

Oral Health: Essential for Overall Well-Being & a Human Right 

NCOHC Vice President Dr. Steve Cline introduced Representative Maria Cervania from the North Carolina General Assembly. Drawing on her expertise as an epidemiologist and biostatistician, she talked about how oral health is both overall health and a human right.

Several speakers also referenced House Bill 60, which would modernize North Carolina Medicaid dental reimbursement rates. This legislation is a top priority for the NCOHC team, and the bipartisan bill has been co-sponsored by Representatives Cervania and Reeder, alongside 57 additional primary and co-sponsors.

North Carolina Medicaid dental reimbursement rates haven’t been meaningfully increased since 2008, meaning that many public health providers are forced to operate at a monetary loss when accepting patients with Medicaid insurance. House Bill 60 would raise rates by more than 10% compared to average private practice prices.

To ensure everyone across our state has the opportunity to live a healthy life and access all types of care, including oral health, NCOHC is advocating for:

• Increasing North Carolina Medicaid dental reimbursement rates.
• Revising statutory law to allow for alignment of dental rules 16W and 16Z.
• Allowing for reimbursement of more school-based dental examinations.
• Collecting more data to inform workforce development needs.

Considering the expansion of Medicaid last year, modernizing dental reimbursement rates is as pressing as ever. By taking this critical step, we can increase the number of providers and ensure everyone has access to care.

To learn more about NCOHC’s priorities, download their 2024 Portrait of Oral Health and check out the final pages for the program’s full 2025 policy agenda.

Behavioral Health: Preventative Mental Health Care for Children  

To round out the event, COE Interim Director Dr. Lisa Tyndall announced the launch of a mental health well-check pilot with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS). She also introduced Dr. Alexandra Cupito and Dr. Lauren Hanley, who spoke about their experiences as providers trying to offer and get reimbursed for delivering preventive mental health care.

This year, COE is promoting a new policy allowing children up to 17 years old to receive a free mental health screener with their caregiver’s consent during their annual well-visit. If approved, this policy would ensure that primary care providers have dedicated time for mental health prevention, including identifying potential concerns, sharing resources, and delivering care to avert mental health crises before they arise.

Accessible, routine preventive care would also help destigmatize mental health conversations and reduce the risk of children developing long-term, untreated mental health disorders that adversely impact their health, overburden providers, and increase costs.

Children and teens in North Carolina are experiencing a mental health crisis with anxiety, depression, and other challenges on the rise, but this trend does not have to continue. By ensuring children, youth, and families get broader access to whole-person care, we can build the foundation for a healthier North Carolina.

Check out COE’s Mental Health Well Check [PDF] primer to learn more.

Connect, Collaborate, Advocate for a Healthier NC   

Many opportunities exist to engage with FHLI and advocate for health. If you want to be part of the solutions to make our systems work better for more people, sign up for our newsletter and join us at a future event. If you want to learn more about the state of health in North Carolina, be sure to read the 2025 Rural Health Snapshot. We’re glad you’re here!