Medicaid expansion will launch in North Carolina on Dec. 1, adding more than 600,000 people to the state’s health insurance system, Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday.
Cooper and the state’s Democrats have been pushing for its passage, waiting for the state’s legislature to approve a budget which allows the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to enact the program. Republican lawmakers were slow to expedite the program despite Cooper passing legislation for Medicaid expansion in March.
"Finally expanding Medicaid in North Carolina is a monumental achievement that will extend health insurance to people who need it," said Cooper in a statement. "This means better health care, including those with mental health and substance abuse disorders, hope for rural hospitals struggling to stay open and billions of dollars for our economy. This action is long overdue, and we aren’t wasting a moment in beginning enrollment in North Carolina."
The state’s budget no longer included measures that would legalize certain casinos and video lottery terminals, as certain Republicans opposed the plan, Axios reported. Still, the governor’s announcement comes ahead of a timeline given by North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, who previously said there was “no chance” the legislature would pass a budget by October.
It's expected the Dec. 1 timetable will transition 300,000 eligible people currently receiving Medicaid Family Planning benefits to be automatically enrolled in full healthcare coverage.
"Medicaid expansion is the most significant investment in the health of North Carolina in decades and represents billions of dollars of investment each year that helps keep clinics, providers and hospital doors open,” said NCDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley in a statement.
Under Medicaid expansion, individuals making less than $20,000 a year, or a family of three making less than $34,000 a year, can now be covered. State officials expect Medicaid expansion will lead to better health outcomes in rural areas, as well as more comprehensive access to mental health care.
North Carolina is one of 41 states that has expanded Medicaid since it was authorized in 2014, as reported by KFF.