Medicaid expansion will give health care coverage to more than 600,000 people in North Carolina. Starting Dec. 1, people will be able to enroll in the expanded program.
Expanding the federal health care program was tied to passing a new state budget in the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Legislators passed their new budget last week, months behind schedule, and the governor said he would let it become law without his signature.
“Finally expanding Medicaid in North Carolina is a monumental achievement that will extend health insurance to people who need it,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.
“This means better health care, including those with mental health and substance use 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 governor said.
The expanded program will give health care coverage to people 19 to 64 who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level. That includes individuals making less than $20,000 a year. A family of three could get coverage under the program if they make less than $34,000 a year.
Expanding health care coverage has been a top priority for the governor since he was first elected, he said.
Most other states have already expanded Medicaid. The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, gave more federal funding to states to expand Medicaid starting in 2014.
About 300,000 people will be automatically enrolled in full Medicaid coverage starting Dec. 1, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Sec. Kody Kinsley.
The other half of people in North Carolina who are eligible will have to enroll in the program through their counties.
“Medicaid expansion is a game changer for 600,000 North Carolinians that it will directly benefit,” Kinsley said.
“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,” he said.