Chair, WCDP
House Bill 76, the Access to Healthcare Options Act, recently passed the NC House with an overwhelming vote of 92 to 22, with House District 94 Representative Jeffrey Elmore voting against.
With its passage, HB76 has moved to the Senate. Republican legislative leaders, Phil Berger and Tim Moore, announced last week that they had reached an agreement to expand the state’s Medicaid program, but may tie its implementation to the budget.
Working individuals in the “coverage gap” earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to qualify for a subsidy in the healthcare marketplace.
According to Care4Carolina, a coalition of patient advocates, health providers and economic development organizations, approximately 5597 people in Wilkes; 2367 in Alexander; 5677 in Surry; and 2538 in Yadkin would gain access to healthcare coverage by implementation of HB76. These are constituents of NC Senate District 36, represented by Senator Eddie Settle.
Every day that passes without expanding Medicaid leaves approximately 600,000 eligible North Carolinians with limited access to health care, and every month we miss out on billions of federal dollars. We are one of only 11 states in the country who have failed to take advantage of Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid expansion needs to happen immediately, with no unrelated conditions attached. You may reach out to Senator Eddie Settle at (919) 733-5742 or Eddie.Settle@ncleg.gov to express your thoughts. Please encourage Senator Settle to vote AYE on HB76 when the vote reaches the Senate, and to press for immediate implementation.