August 24, 2018

News & Observer: Jesse Bennett and Donald McDonald: Why Doesn’t NC’s Opioid Action Plan Consider Medicaid Expansion?

The surge in overdose deaths from opioids and other drugs has dominated the local, state and national spotlight for several years now and resulted in task forces, advisory councils, committees, commissions and work groups convened by the General Assembly and elected officials. Sadly, the most critical and obvious solution to effectively addressing the opioid epidemic in a meaningful and sustainable …

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July 19, 2018

Charlotte Observer: Another Trump attack on the Affordable Care Act

Last week, the Trump administration delivered another major blow to the Affordable Care Act by drastically cutting funding for “navigators” — counselors at nonprofits who help people enroll in health insurance. Next year, total North Carolina navigator funding will drop a jaw-dropping 84 percent, from more than $3 million to $500,000. Read more   

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September 26, 2016

The Robesonian: NC’s Medicaid gap widens

The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau included some frustrating information about North Carolina and it wasn’t just the state’s sluggish below the national average growth in household median income that the think tanks on the right have mistakenly trumpeted as good news. The data also showed that the percentage of people without health coverage in the state dropped …

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August 30, 2016

Western NC Public Radio: Federal Researchers Connect Medicaid Expansion To Lower Premiums

The Obama administration is touting a new argument for why states like North Carolina should expand Medicaid. Federal researchers found in states that already have, the premiums people pay on the Obamacare exchanges are lower. The Affordable Care Act was designed to cover the poorest people through Medicaid expansion, but the U.S. Supreme Court made that optional for states. North …

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August 30, 2016

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: Medicaid expansion lowers Marketplace premiums by 7 percent

New analysis finds Medicaid expansion brings down Marketplace rates – another benefit on top of gains for low-income individuals and state economies   Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report showing that expanding Medicaid lowers Marketplace premiums by about 7 percent in those states. “Today’s report identifies yet another group that would gain if all …

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August 18, 2016

News & Observer: NC puts ‘medically fragile’ children on wait list for special Medicaid program

The state on Monday stopped adding more children to a Medicaid program that pays for in-home nursing care and other benefits. The program is called Community Alternatives Program for Children, or the CAP/C waiver, which offers care to “medically fragile” children who need feeding tubes, use ventilators or who cannot learn basic activities such as dressing or bathing. CAP/C is …

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August 4, 2016

WRAL: Rejecting Medicaid expansion: A moral and economic failure

The following is the opinion of Capitol Broadcasting Company. Imagine this. Someone enters an office where Gov. Pat McCrory, Senate President Protem Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore are present. “Gentlemen, let’s look at the facts. North Carolinians are already sending their hard-earned federal tax dollars to help pay for Medicaid expansion in 31 other states and they do not have …

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July 24, 2016

The News & Observer: To save more NC infants, expand Medicaid

A new report from NC Child funded by Community Catalyst and the Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on North Carolina’s high infant mortality rate and how expanding Medicaid to low-income women could bring that rate down, especially for African-Americans and Hispanics. Read more continue reading

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