Happy New Year! As we kick off 2026, here’s a quick roundup of key national and state developments we’re tracking. Your vigilance and support fuel our work—thank you!
NATIONAL
- Childhood Vaccines Streamlined: HHS has cut the recommended schedule from 17 to 11 vaccines. While a step forward, questions linger: Will physicians fully educate parents on implications, including multi-agent shots covering delisted pathogens? Should provider incentives tied to vaccination rates end? What about liability for excluded vaccines under injury compensation? Expect pushback on multivalent combos and school mandates—stay tuned for informed consent advocacy. Details
- Dietary Guidelines 2025–2030: (guidelines) The food pyramid is inverted—bye-bye processed “roast beast” and veggie clumps! Real foods like meats and produce take center stage, dealing a blow to Big Ag and Big Food.
- Pesticide Immunity Blocked: Thanks to our collective opposition, Congress axed Section 453 from the House spending bill, stripping foreign profiteers of legal shields. A consumer victory that could ripple to state levels!
- HHS Lyme Roundtable Breakthrough: Dianna attended this game-changing session hosted by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with experts like Congressmen Chris Smith and Morgan Griffith, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and patient advocates. It validated chronic Lyme as a serious illness (affecting ~500K Americans yearly), ended “gaslighting,” and announced Medicare coverage for chronic treatments. Spotlights: AI/machine learning diagnostics, drug repurposing, Long COVID parallels, and renewed LymeX Accelerator. Research priorities include NIH pediatric studies (launching 2026) and Centers of Excellence. A turning point for patient-centered care—full summary/transcript: https://www.lymedisease.org/summary-transcript-roundtable/
STATE
NC Rural Health Timeline & Red Flags
Our ongoing scrutiny of Medicaid expansion and rural initiatives reveals patterns worth watching. Updated with latest enrollment data—690K new recipients since 2023 (1 in 5 NCers now on Medicaid)—and non-citizen access pathways persisting through 2026.
Our Fight Against HB 67: Protecting Rural Patient Standards
NCPFF led the charge against HB 67, which passed in 2025 allowing foreign-trained physicians to practice in rural NC with relaxed qualifying requirements (unlike U.S.-trained docs). We mobilized parents, rallied physician allies, and delivered compelling testimony to legislators—exposing risks to patient safety, potential insurer biases (e.g., Blue Cross’s clinic acquisitions), and the need for equal standards. Though it advanced, our advocacy spotlighted conflicts of interest and sparked broader scrutiny. Victory in awareness: It fueled calls for accountability in rural health reforms. Onward—we won’t stop fighting for families!
Just In: Visa processes paused for 75 counties—maybe a slow down?
| Year | Event | NCPFF Take / Verified Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Blue Cross announces $8M rural health initiative—minimal impact on rural ills. | Early red flag: Corporate “philanthropy” with little accountability; funds often recycle into insurer profits. |
| 2023 | NC accepts $1.8B federal funds for Medicaid expansion; NCPFF briefs legislators/Lt. Gov. against it, warning of ineligible recipients. | Our advocacy prescient: Expansion funneled billions despite risks of non-citizen enrollment via DHHS pathways. |
| 2023–2025 | 690K new recipients added (1 in 5 NCers on Medicaid); DHHS site lists 20+ ways for non-citizens to qualify (e.g., eligible immigration statuses, family applications, SSN waivers). | Surge validates warnings—non-citizen options include refugees, asylees, parolees, and more; no major changes 2023–2026. |
| 2023–2026 | NC Medicaid grows amid opposition; DHHS promotes broad access. | Dependency trap: 40% of rural NC now on rolls, straining budgets. |
| 2024 | Blue Cross unveils/buys 55+ rural urgent care centers (50% of state’s total) in Oct.—insurer and provider raises alarms. | Timing suspect: Acquisition of FastMed clinics (mostly rural) creates vertical integration conflict; critics call it “double-dipping” via premiums and billing. |
| 2024 | ~40% of rural NC residents on Medicaid. | Echoes our 2023 brief: Expansion bloats rolls without fixing root ills. |
| 2025 | HB 67 passes: Looser quals for foreign-trained docs in rural areas (vs. U.S.-trained). | Lowers bar post-Blue Cross buyout—potential favoritism for cheaper labor at owned clinics? Blogs flag as “insurer preps for lowered standards.” |
| 2025 | $319M Medicaid funding gap emerges. | Predictable fallout from unchecked growth. |
| 2025 | Feds announce $50B Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP); NC legislators tipped off ~1 year early. | “Strategic roadmap” for rural overhaul—hubs, workforce, tech—but opaque on who benefits. |
| Dec. 2025 | NC awarded $213M RHTP grant (more phases ahead); “Stakeholders” (incl. Blue Cross) consulted on design, eligible for funds. | Deja vu: NCDHHS leads with 400+ partners (hospitals, FQHCs, tribes); Blue Cross Foundation aids workforce stipends, but as top Medicaid MCO, they profit indirectly via enrollee growth. |
| 2026 | 400+ stakeholders shape/deliver RHTP with DHHS (implementation starts early year). | Watch for cronyism: Multi-payer models could funnel public $ to private giants like Blue Cross. |
Is history repeating? We’re monitoring to protect families from top-down overreach—especially Blue Cross’s potential triple-dip: premiums + provider billing + federal grants.
Your voice matters—reply with thoughts or join our advocacy. Together, we’re building a freer, healthier NC. If you’d like to support Dianna’s vital on-the-ground work, including travel to key events like the recent Lyme roundtable and trips to Raleigh to meet with legislators, your generous donation would make a real difference: Donate to NCPFF
In freedom,
NC Physicians for Freedom
