In this episode of Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson sits down with North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell as he tackles high hospital costs in the state. "Last fall, I had a procedure that took eight minutes, that cost $6,000," Dale Folwell, North Carolina State Treasurer, said. Long before Folwell suffered his own sticker shock, he was on a campaign to make the state's largest hospitals more transparent amount costs and pricing.
Then, Ben talks with Catawba College Professor Michael Bitzer after Mecklenburg County received extra representation in Washington, D.C. It stems from new congressional maps approved by the state supreme court. In previous mapping attempts, much of Charlotte was concentrated in one congressional district, and the new 14th district was sprawling west in rural counties. Now, two districts will be centered mainly along the borders of Mecklenburg County, with sections including Gaston and Cabarrus Counties. "That district has shifted so much now. And is much more democratic I think right now. Mecklenburg could be represented by two Democratic members of Congress," Bitzer said.
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