About 55,000 children will be moved to NC Medicaid

Thousands of children in North Carolina will soon be moved into the state’s Medicaid program. Officials say this will keep family costs down and provide increased access to care.

Beginning in April, roughly 55,000 children currently enrolled in the NC Health Choice program will be moved to NC Medicaid. 

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, NC Health Choice is funded through the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. Last year, lawmakers directed NCDHHS to move NC Health Choice beneficiaries to the Medicaid program, joining 17 other states who have merged their Medicaid and CHIP offerings for children.

Officials say that the move means that families with children will no longer be responsible for enrollment fees and medical copays. The changes also include increased access to behavioral health services, as well as early health screenings, pregnancy and postpartum coverage, and transportation to medical appointments.

Families with children enrolled in NC Health Choice will automatically be moved to the Medicaid program beginning April 1. 

The move will impact almost 2,400 children in Guilford County and roughly 1,700 in Forsyth.