Amid Medicaid’s 56th Anniversary, Red state Medicaid expansion momentum continues to grow

This Friday, July 30, marks the 56^th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing into law the amendment that created Medicare and Medicaid. For 56 years, Medicaid has helped make health care affordable and accessible for millions across the country. 

Despite the benefits, several states, including North Carolina, continue to halt the expansion of the health care program — leaving more than two million people across the United States without any options when it comes to health insurance.

• Recently, voters in two Republican-led states — Oklahoma and Missouri — overwhelmingly approved of expanding Medicaid.
  
• North Carolina remains one of few states that have not expanded its health care coverage — leaving more than 500,000 North Carolinians without affordable health care access and resulting in several rural hospital closures, the state losing out on billions of federal funding and  an ever-growing coverage gap.
  
• In his latest budget proposal, Gov. Roy Cooper has continued his push to expand Medicaid, stating, “Getting more health care coverage to people in North Carolina is certainly a priority. Medicaid expansion is the best way to do that”.

As we celebrate Medicaid’s 56th birthday this Friday, Republicans in the NC General Assembly have the opportunity to prioritize North Carolinians health care by closing the healthcare coverage gap and delivering affordable health care access to everyone across the state.

With a majority of North Carolinians supporting the expansion, there’s no better time than now to expand Medicaid and close the coverage gap to ensure the recovery of the state and the wellbeing of North Carolinians.