NC has now joined other states and expanded Medicaid under
the ACA thus better serving those in dire need of healthcare. That story is here
from The Southern Scoop with this headline:
“North Carolina becomes 40th state to expand Medicaid under the ACA”
(March 28, 2023) – Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed House Bill 76,
Access to Healthcare Options, into law on Monday afternoon. The
Republican-sponsored legislation will expand Medicaid, which is expected to
provide health coverage to over 600,000 people across NC and bring billions in
federal dollars to the state. NC now is the 40th state to expand Medicaid.
Gov. Cooper said:
“Medicaid expansion is a once-in-a-generation investment that will strengthen
our mental health system, boost our rural hospitals, support working families and
so much more. This is a historic step toward a healthier North Carolina that
will bring people the opportunity of better health and a better life.”
Kody H. Kinsley, HHS Secretary,
said: “This a historic moment that will transform the health and well-being
of North Carolina. Medicaid expansion is foundational in improving access to
health care in rural areas, for better mental health and for veterans, working
adults and their families. For 600,000 people in NC, this Medicaid expansion is
life-changing.”
Note: The 10 states listed below still have not expanded ACA care for
their needy with Medicaid. Nearly 4 million Americans in those states still do
not have Medicaid coverage available to them under the ACA.
I suspect it’s due to their stubborn anti-ACA Barack Obama achievement that they still resist and won’t expand for their state needy.
Those remaining shameful 10 states are: AL, GA, FL, KS, MS, SC. TN, TX, WI, and
WY - no big surprise, either, right?
Shame on those states and congrats the GOP in NC and
especially to DEM Gov. Cooper who pursued this for a long time.
Expanding Medicaid had been a top priority for Gov. Cooper
since he took office. Since 2017, he has worked within the confines of state
law to begin the expansion of Medicaid, even when Republican legislators sued him
in federal court to stop the process. Without Medicaid expansion, North
Carolina has missed out on an estimated $521 million each month that could go
to improving mental health and helping rural hospitals remain open.
Veterans, early childhood
educators, restaurant workers, and nursing home workers are all among the
groups that often fall into the coverage gap and sometimes who have to work two
or more jobs to afford health care.
In NC rural residents are 40% more likely to be uninsured
and eligible for Medicaid expansion, and eleven of their rural hospitals have
closed since 2005, with more at risk of closure due to a lack of paying
customers.
NC, like other states, is
currently dealing with an opioid and substance abuse crisis. About 40% of
overdose patients in emergency departments are uninsured, making it harder for
them to get the follow up mental health care they need.
Gov. Cooper’s budget, “First in Opportunity,” proposes using a portion of the
almost $1.8 billion Medicaid expansion signing bonus to create the “Improving
Health Outcomes for People Everywhere (IHOPE)”
Fund.
The plan focuses on
three areas: (1) Making mental health services more available when and
where people need them; (2) building strong systems to support people in crisis
and people with complex behavioral needs; and (3) enabling better health access
and outcomes with data and technology. This new ACA Medicaid expansion will
take effect upon the signing into law of the FY 2023-25 appropriations act.
My 2 Cents: Again congrats to NC & Gov. Cooper for this success… well done.
Thanks for stopping by.
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