Cooper pushes Medicaid expansion at Wilmington day care

Jun. 19--WILMINGTON -- North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper went back to school Tuesday in Wilmington to teach a lesson on Medicaid expansion.

Cooper visited Noah's Ark Children's Center at Masonboro Baptist Church for a roundtable discussion with early childhood educators.

With two-thirds of parents in the workforce, quality day care and early childcare education is important, the governor said, yet many day care teachers and staff lack adequate health insurance. Cooper said they fall in the "doughnut hole," making too much money for Medicaid but not enough to qualify under the Affordable Care Act.

Cooper has been lobbying the General Assembly to expand Medicaid under terms of the Affordable Care Act, saying it could extend coverage to 500,000 to 600,000 North Carolina residents -- many of them already employed. He claimed Medicaid expansion could increase the state's workforce by 40,000.

During the roundtable, Cooper heard stories from many local day care workers who lack any health insurance. Some have been covered by their parents' policies, but will lose coverage when parents retire or when they turn 26.

"It's hard for us to keep good people," said Cynthia Meyer, a teacher at Noah's Ark.

Tracy Brewer, director of Noah's Ark, feared that more staff would head for K-12 schools to get insurance, making it much harder to find qualified personnel.

Cooper estimated that one-fifth of the state's day care workers currently lack health insurance.

With a median hourly income of $9.86, he said they are often unable to afford coverage.

Jonathan Barfield, chairman of the New Hanover County Commissioners, said New Hanover Regional Medical Center currently loses $41 million a year since uninsured people use the emergency room as a primary care clinic. These costs are passed along to other residents, he said.

Medicaid expansion would require no state funds, Cooper said, since costs would be covered overwhelmingly by the federal government.

A bill to expand Medicaid is currently stalled in the General Assembly. Republican leaders in the legislature have opposed expansion, claiming it would lead to higher state costs later on and would lead more doctors to refuse Medicaid patients.

The governor's office Tuesday said that Medicaid expansion Medicaid must be on the table in budget negotiations with the legislature, which are ongoing.

Reporter Ben Steelman can be reached at 910-343-2208 or Ben.Steelman@StarNewsOnline.com.

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