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Chiropractors and physical therapists would get a boost from a bill that cleared a House committee Thursday.

The bill would require health insurance companies covering some 2 million people in the state to offer a lower co-pay for chiropractors and physical and occupational therapists.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Cullie Tarleton, started out as a do-over for a requirement that patients could see chiropractors and pay the same co-payment they are charged for seeing a family doctor.

That benefit was inserted into the budget by former House Speaker Jim Black four years ago. It helped land him in prison when three chiropractors admitted to giving him cash payments while pushing their legislative agenda. It was later rescinded.

Tarleton said the benefit was rescinded because of the circumstances surrounding it, not because it wasn't good policy.

"This is a really a patient's bill, plain and simple," said Tarleton, a Blowing Rock Democrat.

More after the jump.

The legislature is going to consider fixes to the State Health Plan.

A conference report that will be considered by the House and Senate this afternoon includes several changes:

* Drops a proposal to put the plan on the calendar year, and not the fiscal year.

* Reduces the premium rate increase from 10 to 8.9 percent.

* Creates a new specialist co-pay for chiropractors, mental health and substance abuse and speech therapy. It would be $55 under the 70/30 plan and $45 under the 80/20 plan.

* Restores smoking cessation and weight loss initiatives.

The Senate would also agree to an independent audit specified by the House, a blue ribbon task force and language requiring plan contractors to provide details billing, transactional data and administrative costs.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand said the goal was to the plan to Gov. Beverly Perdue by the end of the week.

Update: The House has passed the plan, 60-56. 

The State Health Plan bill squeaked through the House appropriation's committee on Wednesday.

The narrow margin 44 to 40 suggested to House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman that he may have some more work to do before he puts the bill up to a vote on the House floor next week.

"I think there's a lot of concern about state employees," said Holliman, a Lexington Democrat. "We're working to make this bill as good as we can."

The plan is facing a shortfall this year of $250 million and in addition to setting premiums and establishing coverage for state employees and their dependents, the bill would keep the plan solvent this year.

For next year, the bill would increase premiums for spouses and children of state employees by 10 percent each year. That increase grew after lawmakers added some $54 million in costs over two years to move the plan to a calendar year and voted to cover chiropractic services and physical, occupation and speech therapy at the same level as primary care.

More after the jump.

Legislation to bail out the State Health Plan is expected to be back before House members Thursday, and several proposed amendments will be taken up that could further delay its passage.

House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman said one amendment would switch the plan from a fiscal year — July 1 to June 30 — to a calendar year so that members can better take advantage of health savings accounts and other cost-saving initiatives, Dan Kane reports.

Another would allow drugs that help the mentally ill to be treated the same as most drugs, instead of being labeled specialty drugs that would cost members more.

A third amendment would restore a benefit that allows members to pay the same co-payment to see a chiropractor as the family doctor. This is the same benefit that former House Speaker Jim Black inserted into the state budget four years ago and helped land him in prison when three chiropractors admitted to giving him cash payments while pushing their legislative agenda. It was later rescinded.

Holliman didn't criticize the proposals, but he said they all come with a cost.

"We're asking the sponsors where the money will come from," Holliman said.

More after the jump.

LONG GONE: The sudden death of longtime Insurance Commissioner Jim Long cast a shadow over the week. Legislators wore red tie stickers in his honor; others gave praise. Ironically, he was going to spend his retirement fighting for stroke prevention.

BILLS BILLS BILLS: Legislators pitched a flurry of new bills to expand sex ed options, extend public financing, teach about the 1898 race riots, require murder interrogations be videotaped, and reduce copays for chiropractors. Leaders will now seek to bury half and rewrite the rest.

SUPER FIGHT: Schools Superintendent June Atkinson threw down her glove. After remaining quiet while Gov. Beverly Perdue sought to pull even more power from her position, Atkinson demanded legislators to decide once and for all who runs the schools.

IN OTHER NEWS: A tough budget year hasn't stopped legislators from asking for more money. As of Thursday, special appropriations bills totaled $95 million, or about 5 percent of the $2 billion shortfall. ... Sen. Kay Hagan wants to limit CEOs getting federal bailout money to the same salary as President Obama. Watch for executives to start arguing the president is underpaid. ... State Sen. Steve Goss said he'd never had any trouble with blogs as he filed a bill that would make them more liable for libel. By the end of the day, bloggers rectified that.

A bill to require insurers to cover chiropractic services at the same rate as primary-care doctors has a tough climb.

Former House Speaker Jim Black included similar legislation in the 2005 budget, but legislators later stripped it when it was revealed that Black had received illegal cash payments totaling $30,000 from chiropractors.

In addition, insurance companies argue that it is more effective for people to see a primary-care doctor first and then, if necessary, get a referral. That practice puts chiropractors in the position of specialists who have a higher copayment. 

In 2007, Blue Cross officials estimated the change cost them $8 million in less than a year. But backers say they're hearing from constituents in favor of the move. 

"Chiropractors perform a valuable service," said Rep. Cullie Tarleton, a Democrat from Blowing Rock who sponsored the bill. "Even our U.S. Olympic teams have a chiropractor." (N&O)

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory raised $6.4 million in his run as the Republican nominee for governor.

McCrory, who entered the race after his fellow Republican candidates were well underway, raised $1.1 million from Oct. 19 to the end of the year, according to campaign finance disclosure reports.

McCrory's biggest donors in the quarter included Morrisville developer Benjamin Ward, NASCAR chief executive Brian France, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, Jerry Smith, president of the Le Bleu water company, Ronald Day, chief operating officer of RBC Centura Bank.

He also received major contributions from the N.C. American Indian PAC, the Green Industry Council, the N.C. Association of CPAs and the N.C. Chiropractic PAC.

McCrory spent about $6.4 million on his campaign, leaving him with $66,700.

Former House Speaker Jim Black’s controversial program to help children get screened for vision problems appears to be going out with a whimper.

The state budget proposals of the House and Gov. Mike Easley would eliminate the remaining $500,000 in funding for the program, reports Dan Kane. Easley’s budget proposal said the program drew little use in the two years since its creation.

The vision care program began as a mandate on parents to have their children seen by an optometrist before they entered kindergarten. The requirement caused an uproar after Black wrote it into the 2005 budget.

Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, was an optometrist and his colleagues were a key source for political contributions. One of the scandals that eventually led to his downfall involved optometrists writing campaign contribution checks with the payee line blank so that Black and others could determine who they should go to.

More after the jump.

Former House Speaker Jim Black said in state court this morning that chiropractors came up with the idea of giving him cash because they wanted to avoid showing up as campaign donors and getting "inundated" with requests for money from other candidates.

Black said it was a mistake.

"It was the most foolish and stupid thing i've ever done," he said. "It was an embarrasment to my family."

Former House Speaker Jim Black admitted in state court this morning to accepting cash from chiropractors and giving cash to former state Rep. Michael Decker.

"I don't know exactly where I got that cash," Black said of the money he gave to Decker, reports Ryan Beckwith. "I have always had cash lying around."

Black, responding to questions from Wake District Attorney Colon Willoughby, said the money was not necessarily from the chiropractors. Black said he did "nothing in particular" with the chiropractor's cash, giving some to friends and spending some on golf.

I have always been very generous with my money," said Black, a Mecklenburg County Democrat.'

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP.