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The General Assembly was expected to pass a state budget by July 1. Now, it could be weeks until a budget is approved and state health officials can start rolling out Medicaid expansion.

But the expansion program won't happen then unless elected officials take one last action soon. The Democratic governor signed an expansion law in March, pontentially providing health coverage to another 600,000 adults.

Kinsley said beneficiaries could continue to lose their coverage until Medicaid expansion can take effect.

The effort comes as North Carolina faces an impending shortage of nurses over the next decade.

The White House has selected a former North Carolina health official to be the new director of the nation's top federal public health agency. Dr. Mandy Cohen has been picked to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Two new hospitals in Wake County, including a new behavioral health hospital, received regulatory approval. When the dust settles on any appeals, it would mean one of the fastest expansions of new hospitals in the county's history.

Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour signed the legal stay dated Thursday. In November, Baddour had set thresholds that the state would have to meet regularly over the next decade.

Disability Rights North Carolina and the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP have joined forces to help children of color with disabilities in the state's foster care program get more community- and home-based treatment instead of being "warehoused" in locked psychiatric facilities that can be dangerous.

North Carolina government is appealing a judge's order that demands by certain dates many more community services for people with intellectual and development disabilities who otherwise live at institutions.

A local judge's ruling could pave the way for sweeping changes to how North Carolina provides services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.