“What that means is the person nominated to run Medicare believes it’s acceptable not to contribute to Social Security and Medicare like nurses and firefighters do with every paycheck,” said Sen. Ron Wyden.
About 3 million North Carolina residents — one in four — receive health coverage through Medicaid, a figure that includes the more than 640,000 people who received coverage through the state’s Medicaid expansion program starting in Dec. 2023. Under state law, North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion program would end should federal funding for the program drop below 90%, cutting off access to the 640,000 North Carolinians who’ve gotten coverage under the expansion.
“Losing this support is devastating, not merely because of the financial setback, but because it directly affects an essential lifeline connecting agriculture, regional economic well-being, and the health of WNC families,” Claire Neal, CEO of MANNA FoodBank, told Asheville Citizen-Times.
“Protecting North Carolinians’ health care access is critically important,” said Stein. “I am proud of our state’s bipartisan work to expand Medicaid, and I call on that same bipartisan spirit in Congress to stand up and protect Medicaid so we can continue to provide critical care across our state.”
In Raleigh, hundreds of scientists, educators, and supporters warned about the generations-long impact of gutting scientific and medical research.
The newly confirmed Secretary of Health and Human Services has expressed support for reviewing the federal approval of mifepristone, a move that could ultimately restrict access to the drug used for abortion and miscarriage care.
Reproductive rights advocates in North Carolina are raising concerns over the possibility that the Trump administration could revoke access to this key medication. Although Trump downplayed the likelihood of national abortion restrictions during his campaign, he recently directed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “study the safety of mifepristone,” according to Kennedy’s Senate confirmation hearing in January.
Two years ago, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand Medicaid, opening up crucial healthcare coverage to over 630,000 North Carolinians. The government-funded health insurance program has expanded much-needed coverage to low-income adults, pregnant women, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and rural communities where many have less access to care.
Despite the number of lives saved by this expansion, the success could be undone if Republicans cut federal funding for Medicaid.
“When we invest in our infrastructure, we build a stronger and safer state for every North Carolinian,” said Governor Josh Stein in a press release. “This funding will help ensure more North Carolinians have access to safe and clean drinking water and will strengthen our communities for decades to come.”
According to the Associated Press, Republicans are considering cutting more than $880 billion in funding from the program that gives healthcare coverage to 80 million adults and children.
Earlier this year, over 400 doctors from North Carolina joined a national effort urging U.S. Senators to reject the nomination of RFK Jr. as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, citing the risks of his anti-vaccine beliefs and his history of promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Kennedy has benefited financially from promoting his anti-vaccine views and was even connected to a 2019 outbreak of measles in Samoa that killed 83 people, mostly children.
The doctors specifically urged U.S. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, to oppose Kennedy’s nomination, and he initially seemed to be a potential “no” vote.