Jason deBruyn
Health ReporterJason deBruyn is the WUNC health reporter, a beat he took in 2020. He has been in the WUNC newsroom since 2016.
In his role covering health, Jason focuses not only on the COVID-19 pandemic, but also on disparities in health outcomes, hospital competition, social determinants of health, and the ongoing push to expand Medicaid in North Carolina.
Prior to joining WUNC, Jason covered the business of health care and pharmaceuticals for Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh, an affiliate of the American City Business Journals network. His reporting roots trace to the Enquirer-Journal, a community newspaper in Monroe, North Carolina.
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The North Carolina State Health Plan Board of Trustees voted to remove coverage of GLP-1 weight loss medicines like Wegovy and Saxenda.
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The North Carolina State Health Plan board of trustees will consider dropping coverage of GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Saxenda. The plan currently covers more than 24,000 people with a prescription for weight loss.
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Wake County commissioners might put a $94 million library bond to voters that would add a branch in Rolesville and make infrastructure renovations system wide.
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Gun sales in North Carolina increased in 2023, following a repeal of a law that requires a purchase permit for handguns.
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Pornhub, the world's most popular free porn website, says a new state law — enacted on Jan. 1, 2024 — actually reduces safety. Pornhub has blocked access in North Carolina completely.
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Disagreements over organizational structure led ALS United North Carolina to join ALS nonprofits in 14 other states to form fully independent organizations.
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Medicaid expansion goes live in North Carolina today, opening up the government-run health insurance program to hundreds of thousands of low income adults.
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Around 600,000 people in the state will now have access to low-cost health insurance. The change will particularly benefit people in poor, rural areas.
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North Carolina legislators passed — and Gov. Roy Cooper signed — a Medicaid expansion law earlier this year. The move will bring health insurance to some 600,000 low-income North Carolinians beginning Dec. 1. For some patients and providers, expansion can’t come soon enough.
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A new inpatient psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents in Butner will soon begin accepting patients. It aims to provide better care and help alleviate backlogs in emergency departments around the state.
