Source: Winston-Salem Journal
According to The Winston-Salem Journal, an additional 31,526 North Carolinians lost their Medicaid coverage at the end of August.
“Each month of delay costs the state hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into communities across North Carolina to support care and treatment for people and help keep providers’ doors open,” Kody Kinsley, the state’s health secretary, told The Winston-Salem Journal.
From June to July, over 8,600 North Carolinians lost their Medicaid after they were determined to no longer meet the eligibility requirements, and another 59,700 North Carolinians lost coverage due to “procedural reasons”.
While the newly passed state budget brings more harm than good, Medicaid expansion is finally enacted; putting an end to those who have waited for health care access.
“Make no mistake, overall this is a bad budget that seriously shortchanges our schools, prioritizes power grabs, keeps shady backroom deals secret and blatantly violates the constitution, and many of its provisions will face legal action,” Gov. Cooper shared in a press release.
“However, we must recognize this irresponsible legislature’s decade of refusal to expand Medicaid, which has caused life and death situations for so many North Carolinians and threatened the very existence of numerous rural hospitals,” Gov. Cooper added. “I will not allow people who are crying for help to wait any longer, so I am directing our Department of Health and Human Services to begin today the process for expanding Medicaid while allowing this budget to become law without my signature.”
Once Medicaid expansion is implemented, over 600,000 North Carolinians will have access to health care.
