February 13, 2016

News & Observer: Blame Blue Cross losses on GOPs hindering a better ACA

The ACA needs such adjustments, but it’s also being undermined by Republican opposition. The GOP-led General Assembly refused to set up a state-run exchange, thus stripping the insurance commissioner of his leverage on premiums or his ability to adjust to suit the state market. And the legislature refused to expand Medicaid, leading some low-income people whose medical costs could have been borne …

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February 12, 2016

Robesonian: What isn’t said about the ACA

Medicaid expansion in North Carolina would not only provide coverage to several hundred thousand people who are currently uninsured, it would create thousands of jobs and help struggling rural hospitals stay open and serve their local communities. And the federal government would pick up most of the cost. Read More

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February 11, 2016

News & Observer: Marching again over North Carolina’s failure to expand Medicaid

Two years after the start of the Affordable Care Act and three years after the N.C. General Assembly and Gov. Pat McCrory blocked federally funded expansion of Medicaid to cover the working poor, it’s time to remind our legislators of the effects of their decision: the avoidable costs, the unnecessary deaths, the intolerable cruelty. On Saturday, I am rising early …

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February 5, 2016

News & Observer: Sondra G. Stein: Take profit out of health care

Let’s remember that the purpose of the ACA is not to expand health insurance but to expand access to health care. We achieved that goal in North Carolina, and it would have helped more North Carolinians meet their need for good health care if our state leaders had not blocked Medicaid expansion for low-income adults not covered by Medicaid. Read …

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February 5, 2016

Blue Ridge Now: Friday’s editorial: Poor bearing the brunt of state decision

When journalists write about social issues such as North Carolina’s refusal to expand Medicaid to provide health insurance to about 500,000 residents, it’s easy for that number to seem abstract. Who are these folks who fall into the “Medicaid gap” created by the state’s failure to act? The answer is, they are our neighbors — folks like a single parent …

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February 4, 2016

Blue Ridge Now: Nonprofits: Medicaid gap leaves residents stranded

Working on the front lines of those struggling to afford health care, Lance Goller recognizes first-hand the pitfalls faced by those who fall in the Medicaid gap. About 500,000 low-income people in North Carolina do not qualify for Medicaid or the subsidies available through the Affordable Care Act, and that impact is being felt here in Henderson County. Read more …

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