'People will die:' Advocate says Medicaid expansion 'not a political football'

Peg O'Connell, health advocate and chair of Care4Carolina, spoke at a forum at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Farmville about the benefits of Medicaid expansion on Oct. 12. She explained that North Carolina is one of the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid leaving hundreds of thousands of residents uninsured.

She focused on the coverage gap, which affects people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to qualify for subsidized health insurance coverage in the marketplace. O'Connell said that millions fall into this gap nationwide and as a result suffer poorer health outcomes and limited access to health care.

She said the benefits of expanding include better health outcomes, increasing economic mobility and ensuring a healthy workforce and creating jobs. "None of the states that have expanded Medicaid have reversed their decision. They have reported better health outcomes and greater access to health care. We are paying for this anyways, it's a surcharge not to expand," she said.

People who have cancer are far more likely to survive it if they have insurance, O'Connell said. "That right there tells us this is necessary. Expanding would provide 600,000 additional residents with much-needed coverage."

She said certain workers in the retail and food service industries are hit the hardest by Medicaid remaining unexpanded. Children also suffer from lacking coverage under the current setup, she said.

O'Connell is a longtime advocate for health care solutions in North Carolina. Care4Carolina is a coalition of 156 member organizations, patient advocates, health providers, economic development and child and family advocates, according to Interfaith Clergy Standing for Community, which organized the forum.

"Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina would give 100,000 low-income parents access to affordable health coverage. It would address racial disparities and reduce the amount of money spent on high medical bills," O'Connell said.

She also said expanding Medicaid would add thousands of jobs and ensure the state's workforce is healthy. "Over 40,000 jobs would be added to the economy. Jobs that would help keep hospitals open and ease the burden on community health centers." O'Connell noted that these jobs don't only benefit the health sector. As jobs are added, workers will spend money on goods, utilities and other expenses benefiting the entire economy.

"We got some good news in June, the Senate and House passed separate bills supporting expansion, but we need to continue to pressure the General Assembly to do this. This is not a political football to be tossed between two teams. People will die if we do not do this."

The forum was part of a five-week series at Emmanuel in partnership with the Interfaith Clergy that focused on racial equity, food security, health care and steps forward.