DHHS creates website to help Medicaid expansion outreach Hoping to receive Medicaid coverage? This state website can help.

With the countdown to the Dec. 1 expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina underway, state health officials have launched a website designed to be a toolkit for organizations wanting to spread the word.

More than 600,000 North Carolinians between ages 19 and 64 will be able to apply for Medicaid health coverage at ePass.nc.gov. A paper application can be submitted at a county Department of Social Services office. Applicants should be notified within 45 days on whether they are eligible for coverage.

According to state health officials, expansion would provide medical coverage to individuals making under about $20,120 a year. Likewise, a family of three earning under about $34,000 would be eligible, as well as a family of six earning under $55,586.

DHHS projects 300,000 eligible North Carolinians currently receiving Medicaid Family Planning benefits will be automatically enrolled in full health care coverage. This group will receive a notification letter from their local Department of Social Services.

Some state residents might earn too much to qualify for Medicaid coverage, but not enough to purchase coverage on the private insurance marketplace. Also, to be eligible, you must have lived in North Carolina or be a qualified non-citizen for at least five years.

"I want everyone eligible for expansion to be enrolled and for it to be as easy as possible," North Carolina Secretary of Health Kody Kinsley said in a statement.

The toolkit is the first phase of DHHS' outreach efforts. It includes English- and Spanish-language resources to help educate North Carolinians on eligibility and how to apply at ePass.nc.gov.

It also provides Medicaid expansion updates, social media content, a frequently-asked-question section and other materials.

"Medicaid expansion is the most significant healthcare investment for North Carolina in decades and we're working hard to let people everywhere know how to apply," Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement.

Medicaid expansion became a reality when Cooper agreed to let the Republican-sponsored 2023-24 state budget bill become law without his signature.

Cooper and Kinsley have said Dec. 1 was a feasible start date as long as the budget bill became law by Oct. 1. In doing so, Cooper said the good from Medicaid expansion outweighed what he called an overall "bad budget."

"Finally, lower-wage workers, veterans, rural communities and many others will get the health insurance they've needed for so long to keep them healthier, treat sickness earlier and get them help in fighting the opioid crisis," Cooper said.

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