Last month, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a budget resolution that calls for over $880 billion in cuts from Medicaid– the public health insurance program for low-income adults, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and children. If this budget resolution becomes law, it could take away health coverage from tens of millions of Americans, including hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians.
Many of these Medicaid recipients are speaking out, sharing how affordable health care has changed their lives and warning of the devastating impact that Medicaid funding cuts would bring to their communities.
Travis Archie, a Statesville resident, was uninsured for nearly 15 years before he became eligible for Medicaid. Prior to that, he couldn’t get adequate treatment for his high blood pressure due to the exorbitant cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. But after he and his daughter both enrolled in Medicaid in 2014, Archie said his health improved.
“I was able to see my cardiologist on time. I was able to see my therapist on time, and it’s been really helpful. It really has,” he said. “My heart has gotten a lot better.”
Archie worries about what his future will look like if the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress proceed with a budget proposal that could ultimately take a sledgehammer to Medicaid. At a minimum, steep cuts could make the quality of the care that people like Archie receive significantly worse.
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.
It’s not just Medicaid enrollees who would suffer from Republicans’ cuts; it’s their families. Dana Bango, a Watauga County resident, is one of 1.3 million North Carolinians who serves as a caregiver for a family member. She works a part-time job while taking care of her elderly father, and said Medicaid coverage has allowed her to work and take care of her family.
“I’m integral in a lot of people’s lives, and a lot of people depend on me, and I do a lot of labor that is unpaid, and I need to have the backing of good healthcare in order to fulfill all these roles,” Bango said.
“It’s better if we have preventive medicine and we can catch things early. I’ve been through cancer five times now, with my parents and me, in the last five years. Early detection is key… a lot of preventative healthcare is going to be cut, a lot of testing is going to be cut, a lot more people are going to be dying,” she said.
“All they’re doing is dooming a lot of us to early deaths.”
View the full article at Cardinal & Pine to learn more about how Medicaid has changed the lives of North Carolinians.
