Gov. Mike Easley gave a preview of his 2009 budget.

In a meeting with reporters, his staff introduced proposals for $31 million for programs to benefit uninsured children, farm and poultry plant workers and sexual assault victims.

"One of the most important roles of government is to look after and protect the basic human rights of those who cannot stand up for themselves," he said in a statement.

Easley will make his full budget public  next week when the legislature returns to Raleigh. The proposals released so far are less than 1 percent of state spending from last year.

They include $10.4 million for child health insurance coverage and $600,000 for uninsured women to receive rape kit examinations. (N&O)

Kay Hagan has started airing her first television ad in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, reports Mandy Locke.

What the ad says: "Born in Shelby, Kay Hagan is a wife and mother who raised three children right here in North Carolina. After building a career in business, Kay entered public service because it needed a voice like hers. And she brought change: raising the minimum wage, expanding health care and strengthening local schools. But now, Washington is broken and needs the kind of change Kay represents. A North Carolina Democrat for Senate."

The background: As a state senator, Hagan voted in 2006 to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.15. During her 10 years as a state senator, Hagan supported several health care expansion bills, including a $7 million program in 2007 to expand health insurance for children in families with incomes up to $61,950. Hagan voted last year in favor of a nearly $10 million expansion of preventative and primary care for uninsured patients in North Carolina’s rural communities.

In terms of education, Hagan helped craft a college scholarship program for poor children during the last budget cycle. She also supported expansion of a preschool program and an online college course program for high-schoolers during the same budget. Hagan has routinely supported funding increases for North Carolina universities.

Is the ad accurate? Yes, Hagan has voted in favor of each of the items listed in her ad. She was not, however, the sponsor of all of the items.

Elizabeth Edwards is plugging Hillary Clinton's health care plan.

During an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," the wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards said that she prefers Clinton's plan to rival Barack Obama's. 

It could be the closest either candidate gets to an actual endorsement, she said.

"Both candidates have called John and wanted to talk to him, and we continue to talk to them about what’s going on, but we think that what we have to offer them is not so much an endorsement as a perspective on what we found as we crossed the country on what people think are important issues and the solutions that seemed most realistic," she said.

Elizabeth Edwards recently joined the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow.

"I do think that in order to ensure that we have universal coverage we need to say that everybody has to join, so for that reason the mandates that Senator Clinton is talking about I think will actually be more successful in achieving the goal," she said. "I think they both have the same goals, I just have more confidence in Senator Clinton's policy than Senator Obama’s on this particular issue."

Elizabeth Edwards will join the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow.

The wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards will work on health-care issues and write for a newly launched blog called the "Wonk Room," the nonprofit announced yesterday.

"As many can attest, I have an opinion on everything," she said in a statement. "But I am particularly concerned about the state of health care in America and I am grateful to CAP for giving me the chance to continue to advocate for universal and quality health care coverage for all."

Edwards also said she will continue her push for universal health care coverage.

The nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization was created in 2003 as an alternative to conservative think tanks. Founded by former John Podesta, the former chief of staff to President Clinton, it has strong ties to Hillary Clinton.

That led Jay Carnery of Time magazine to speculate on the meaning of the announcement:

"Does the fact that Elizabeth is coming aboard CAP signal that John is finally going to endorse, and that he'll throw his support to Clinton?"

Robert Peterson considers himself an old-fashioned blogger.

A life sciences researcher in Chapel Hill, Peterson started out blogging for The Daily Kos, where he first learned about BlueNC in 2005 when he saw a piece crossposted by James Protzman. 

"At the time, I thought it was this well-established Web site," he said. "It wasn't until some time later that I found out that I was user No. 14."

Peterson, 37, started out writing about health care, something he knew about from a stint as vice president of Health Care for All's North Carolina chapter. As a volunteer for John Edwards, he also wrote a lot about that campaign.

When that ended, Peterson became interested in the race for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.

He says that the main contributors to BlueNC agree on a few basic principles: They support increasing health care coverage for the uninsured; they think No Child Left Behind should be changed or scrapped; and they opposed the proposed landing field in Eastern North Carolina.

The one area where they disagree: Which candidates to support.

Bob Orr wants to cut back on health insurance mandates.

On his Web site, the Republican gubernatorial candidate says North Carolina needs to reduce "excessive coverage mandates" to allow the market to work:

North Carolina has 46 coverage mandates (government dictated policy benefits) resulting in 41% higher premiums and preventing you from choosing a basic plan. We must reduce coverage mandates so that you can choose a basic plan that meets your health needs and does not include benefits that you do not need, like for example, coverage for a chiropractor.

As noted previously, North Carolina has 25 benefit mandates.

The state also requires coverage of 17 types of providers, including chiropractors, pastoral counselors and social workers; and six groups, including adopted children, handicapped dependents and newborns.

Orr later had a back-and-forth with health care advocate Adam Searing on The Progressive Pulse blog.

He recently noted on his campaign blog, More from Orr, that the discussion made him "go back and research the issue further."

North Carolina has 24 health insurance benefit mandates.

According to the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, an insurance industry group that generally advocates against increased mandates, North Carolina has the 18th most mandates in the United States.

Idaho has the fewest mandates, with seven; while Maryland has the most, at 39. The median was 21 mandates, which Kentucky and Tennessee have.

Among the most common benefits in North Carolina's mandates: Mammograms, maternity stays, breast reconstruction, alcoholism, diabetes supplies and emergency services.

Among the least common: Birthing centers, cleft palate, bone mass measurement, human papilloma virus vaccine, newborn hearing screenings and TMJ disorders.

North Carolina also requires insurers cover clinical trials, mastectomies, hospital stays after a mastectomy, colorectal cancer screening, cervical cancer screening and contraceptives, among other things.

Although it's not yet listed, the General Assembly recently added a 25th benefit mandate: mental health parity.

The six candidates for governor debated health care last night.

At two forums broadcast on UNC-TV, the two Democratic candidates and four Republicans discussed their ideas for improving North Carolina's health care system.

The Democrats debated measures to improve preventive care and cover the unsinsured. The Republicans preached personal responsibility and market-based solutions. (AP)

Beverly Perdue said she would cover lower-income working families, while Richard Moore said her proposal was too expensive. He focused on cost-saving measures, such as stopping payments to doctors who make preventable errors. (W-SJ)

During the Republican debate, Pat McCrory said that there have been "some good trends" in mental health reform in the past two or three years.

Bob Orr attacked that idea, saying it has been "an absolute disaster." (GN-R) 

Bill Graham said he would create an insurance pool that would make health insurance more affordable, while Fred Smith said the state should focus on incentives for preventive care. (N&O) 

Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue each took a quick jab.

At the UNC-TV debate tonight, Moore argued that the Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission has a spotty record, especially on teen smoking.

"It's been a hit and miss on a lot of different small programs," he said. "It's kind of hard to say that we really have made any substantive improvement."

That echoes Moore's recent attacks on government commissions, which he says are wasteful. 

Perdue serves on the commission and chaired a task force on health run in part by it.

Later, Perdue turned the tables, noting that Moore said during his unsuccessful 1994 Congressional run that he would consider cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid funding to balance the budget.

"If you do that, then the seniors who are moving into this state, certainly have many more challenges than they would otherwise have," she said.

After the jump, what Moore said in 1994.

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Richard Moore wants a health-care Expedia.

At the UNC-TV debate tonight, he called for a Web site that would allow North Carolinians to compare health care costs from different programs.

He argued it would work similarly to Expedia, an Internet-based travel agency that allows consumers to compare travel plans directly.

Maybe if his gubernatorial run doesn't work out, Moore could run for insurance commissioner.