North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined a lawsuit to prevent the federal government’s termination of more than $230 million in health care funding for the state.
The lawsuit was filed in response to the US Department of Health and Human Services announcing it was immediately terminating $11 billion in health care funding across the country, including more than $230 million in funding for North Carolina.
“These funding cuts will cause immediate and dire harm to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, local public health departments across the state, and community-based organizations,” the North Carolina Attorney General’s office said in a statement. “Health departments may need to end public health programs and lay off staff, ultimately making it harder for North Carolinians to get the health care they need.”
According to the state attorney general’s office, the loss of more than $230 million in health care funding for North Carolina would result in a loss of funding to:
- Local health programs in at least 77 of North Carolina’s 86 health departments, particularly in the rural counties
- Community-based organizations and community health workers providing care and resources to people impacted by Hurricane Helene
- County-based nurses investigating disease outbreaks
- Collection and analysis of infection control data for people and North Carolina’s farming economy and livestock industry
- EMS programs in six counties
- Response to outbreaks of infectious disease in high-risk places such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities
- Effective control and prevention of the spread of infections
- Substance use disorder treatment programs
- Collegiate substance misuse recovery programs that operate in 14 NC colleges and universities
“My job is to be a shield for the people of North Carolina and that includes protecting their health care,” Jackson said. “The federal government can’t just cancel nearly a quarter billion dollars that have already been congressionally allocated to our state. It’s unlawful and dangerous.”
“That money supports rural hospitals, health care workers, emergency services, and public health programs that protect seniors and families across North Carolina,” Jackson continued. “There are legal ways to improve how tax dollars are used, but this wasn’t one of them.”
