NC Democratic Party, Elected Officials Celebrate Medicaid Expansion Signing

RALEIGH – Today (March 27), North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Medicaid expansion into law fulfilling more than a decade-long fight to secure healthcare access for working families across North Carolina. This historic victory means that an estimated 600,000 North Carolinians will now receive health insurance as the State will also receive $1.75 billion in federal funding which will help fund mental health services, rural hospitals, and much more.

Key provisions of House Bill 76:

• Provides low-income North Carolinians who earn less than 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) with greater access to healthcare options.
• Utilizes federal Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP) funds to help reenergize rural hospitals.  
• It takes effect if the General Assembly agrees on a budget and the federal government provides a consistent 90% federal matching rate.

For this legislation to remain the law of the land, the governor and the state legislature must agree on the state budget. Americans in the Medicaid coverage gap are non-elderly, low-income adults who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private health insurance. Bipartisan majorities in thirty-nine states, most recently Louisiana, South Dakota, and Missouri, have expanded Medicaid.

As we celebrate this day, we must remember that NC is one of the last states to pass such reform and that there were 24 Republicans who still voted against it while also maintaining the caveat that for the legislation to become enacted, a state budget must also be passed.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton released the following statement: 

“Today is a great day in North Carolina as more than 600,000 working people across this state will finally have access to affordable health care. This is a win for everyone in the Tar Heel State – from rural hospitals fighting to keep their doors open to law enforcement combating the opioid epidemic, and advocates who have bravely told their stories. We are all better off because of the bipartisan work it took to get this done, and I am grateful for everyone who has fought for 13 years to make this happen.” 

Attorney General Josh Stein today released the following statement after Gov. Roy Cooper signed legislation expanding Medicaid in North Carolina:

“This is a momentous day – North Carolina has finally expanded Medicaid. More than 600,000 North Carolinians will get health insurance, our rural hospitals will get stronger, and thousands of people will get jobs. I’m grateful to Gov. Cooper for leading this long, hard fight to make sure North Carolinians can get good health care, no matter how much they earn. While we can’t get back the nearly $40 billion the legislature passed up over the past decade of inaction or the six rural hospitals that shut their doors, we are hopeful that our people and hospitals will be healthier going forward. This is truly a case of better late than never.”

Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) released the following statement:  

“After more than a decade, today’s bill signing will provide much-needed health insurance for nearly 100,000 eastern North Carolinians,” said Congressman Davis. “I join the residents of North Carolina’s First District in expressing gratitude for ensuring the stability and well-being of our hardworking families and rural hospitals. As a co-chair of the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus, I will continue leading the charge in Congress to expand Medicaid across the country to guarantee everyone has access to the lifesaving care they deserve.” 

Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) released the following statement after Governor Roy Cooper signed into law legislation to expand Medicaid in North Carolina: 

“This is a historic day in North Carolina. After years of partisan gridlock, I’m grateful that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle finally came together to get Medicaid expansion over the finish line. I thank Governor Roy Cooper for his steadfast leadership on this critical issue and all the legislators who helped us get here. Medicaid expansion would not have been possible without billions of dollars in federal funding in the American Rescue Plan that incentivized leaders to act. I fought for this funding because I know that North Carolinians are tired of waiting for the health care they deserve. I hope legislators put politics aside and work quickly to implement expansion.”