Current:Home > InvestFormer North Carolina labor commissioner becomes hospital group’s CEO-InfoLens
Former North Carolina labor commissioner becomes hospital group’s CEO
View Date:2024-12-23 10:12:34
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s labor commissioner for nearly the past four years is the next president and CEO of the chief advocacy group for the state’s hospitals.
The North Carolina Healthcare Association announced on Tuesday that it hired Josh Dobson after a nationwide search to lead the group, which represents more than 135 member hospital systems.
The trustee board for the association, a major player in health care policy in the state, chose Dobson to succeed Stephen Lawler, who is retiring after seven years in leadership.
Dobson, a former state legislator and McDowell County commissioner, said nearly two years ago that he wouldn’t run in 2024 for a second term leading the Labor Department. Last Wednesday, a day after fellow Republican Luke Farley won the statewide election for commissioner, Dobson announced his resignation from the job effective later that day.
Dobson has an extensive history in healthcare policy from serving in the General Assembly. During his final state House term, Dobson was a chair of the House appropriations and health committees. He was an early supporter of Medicaid expansion to provide government health insurance to more low-income adults. A 2023 state law initiating a form of expansion that now serves 569,000 people also enhanced Medicaid reimbursement payments for hospitals.
Dobson “is a proven collaborator who can bring people together to build the best solutions for ensuring North Carolina remains a top state for employers and residents to access high-quality healthcare close to where they live and work,” said association board Chair Chris Peek, who is also president and CEO of CaroMont Health.
Dobson’s roles also will include overseeing the association’s charitable foundation and a subsidiary that offers healthcare providers access to products and services.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper last Friday named veteran department administrator Kevin O’Barr to serve as labor commissioner until Farley is sworn in early next year.
Scores of association members recently agreed to participate in a new initiative pushed by Cooper’s administration that will give hospitals even higher Medicaid payments if the medical debt of low- and middle-income patients they hold is relieved and they carry out ways for future patients to avoid liability.
Dobson will be a registered lobbyist for the association at the legislature after a six-month cooling-off period required in state law, association spokesperson Stephanie Strickland said in an email.
veryGood! (45232)
Related
- After Baltimore mass shooting, neighborhood goes full year with no homicides
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score today? Rookie breaks WNBA assist record in setback
- Michigan county can keep $21,810 windfall after woman’s claim lands a day late
- Best Nordstrom Rack’s Clearance Sale Deals Under $50 - Free People, Sorel, Levi's & More, Starting at $9
- Whoopi Goldberg calling herself 'a working person' garners criticism from 'The View' fans
- What exactly is soy lecithin? This food additive is more common than you might think.
- Georgia’s lieutenant governor won’t be charged in 2020 election interference case
- 2 dead, 3 injured in Suffolk, Virginia shooting near bus service station
- Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
- Report finds ‘no evidence’ Hawaii officials prepared for wildfire that killed 102 despite warnings
Ranking
- How to Build Your Target Fall Capsule Wardrobe: Budget-Friendly Must-Haves for Effortless Style
- Aldi announces wage increases up to $23 an hour; hiring thousands of employees
- What Bachelorette Jenn Tran and Devin Strader Have Revealed About the Thorny Details of Their Breakup
- An emotional week for the Dolphins ends with Tua Tagovailoa concussed and his future unclear
- Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Explains His Stance on His Daughter Gwendlyn Brown’s Sexuality
- Funerals to be held for teen boy and math teacher killed in Georgia high school shooting
- How to watch and stream the 76th annual Emmy Awards
- Should Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa retire? Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez advises, 'It might be time'
Recommendation
-
Trump pledged to roll back protections for transgender students. They’re flooding crisis hotlines
-
Best Nordstrom Rack’s Clearance Sale Deals Under $50 - Free People, Sorel, Levi's & More, Starting at $9
-
Clock is ticking for local governments to use billions of dollars of federal pandemic aid
-
Homophobic speech in youth sports harms straight white boys most, study finds
-
Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
-
Robert De Niro slams Donald Trump: 'He's a jerk, an idiot'
-
Friday the 13th freebies: Feel lucky with deals from Krispy Kreme, Wendy's, Pepsi
-
Georgia’s lieutenant governor won’t be charged in 2020 election interference case