Medicaid expansion bill would extend coverage to 500K
Republican state Reps.
It was slated for a
HB76 would expand Medicaid coverage to those eligible for Alternative Benefit Plans through changes in the federal Affordable Care Act, coverage referred to as "NC Health Works." The coverage would include about 500,000 working North Carolinians who cannot afford health insurance.
HB76 states "it is the intent of the
Those sources include a gross premium tax, increases in intergovernmental transfers, "hospital health advancement assessments," and savings through General Fund budget reductions to other state programs.
"If, for any fiscal year, the nonfederal share of the cost of NC Health Works cannot be fully funded through the sources described … then Medicaid coverage (for those in NC Health Works) shall be discontinued as expeditiously as possible," the bill reads.
The legislation would task the
HB76 would also require lawmakers to discontinue NC Health Works "as expeditiously as possible" if the federal share of coverage falls below 90%, and lays out the process to do that. State officials have said
The dynamic in
Both House Speaker
Lambeth, HB76's lead sponsor, is a retired health care executive and long-time proponent of Medicaid expansion. Wray, the primary Democrat sponsoring the bill, is one of three from the minority party named by the majority to co-chair key committees this session.
Other Republican sponsors include Reps.
Democratic sponsors include Reps.
As many as 375,000 North Carolinians could lose Medicaid coverage when the federal government ends a continuous coverage requirement from the pandemic that prevented states from removing those who do not quality.
The
Kin more than doubles gross written premium, finishes 2022 with $227.5M
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