Medicaid

Cooper, Medicaid leader push insurance enrollment as North Carolina Medicaid expansion also grows

8:43am January 11, 2024

by Gary Robertson, Associated Press

North Carolina is barely a month into the start of Medicaid expansion in the state and over 310,000 low-income adults have now enrolled in the government health care coverage, Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday while hosting the nation's chief Medicaid regulator.

Immigrants wait to be processed after they crossed the border into the U.S. in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Dec. 22. Eleven states and D.C. offer taxpayer-funded health insurance to some immigrants without legal status.

Health & Safety

More states extend health coverage to immigrants even as issue inflames GOP

5:00am December 29, 2023

by Phil Galewitz

More than 1 million immigrants, most lacking permanent legal status, are covered by state health programs. Several states, including GOP-led Utah, will soon add or expand such coverage.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, right, speaks while state Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley listens

Health & Safety

North Carolina Medicaid expansion enrollment reached 280,000 in first weeks of program

1:52pm December 20, 2023

by Associated Press

The number of North Carolina residents enrolled in Medicaid under the state’s new coverage for low-income adults is nearing 300,000 in the first weeks of the program, the state Department of Health and Human Services says.

A March 2023 image of North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signing a Medicaid expansion law

Politics & Government

North Carolina governor and allies celebrate kickoff of Medicaid expansion

9:21am December 01, 2023

by Associated Press

Gov. Roy Cooper and health care advocates celebrated Friday's official start of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, the result of state legislation this year that's expected to help roughly 600,000 low-income adults obtain the government health insurance.

Gov. Roy Cooper surrounded by people at a signing

Health & Safety

Hundreds of thousands in North Carolina will be added to Medicaid rolls this week

10:20am November 30, 2023

by Associated Press

A decade after the federal government began offering expanded Medicaid coverage in states that opted to accept it, hundreds of thousands of adults in North Carolina are set to receive benefits, a development that boosters say will aid hospitals and local economies in addition to the long-term uninsured.

Even though she still qualified, Beverly Likens of Martin, Kentucky, lost her Medicaid just days before a needed surgery. It took a lawyer helping her to straighten out the red tape.

Health & Safety

Kentucky cut off her Medicaid over a clerical error — just days before her surgery

12:00pm November 21, 2023

by Rachana Pradhan

The Medicaid 'unwinding' is in full swing, and thousands of people are being kicked off the rolls due to administrative errors. Kentucky canceled Beverly Likens' coverage even though she is disabled.

Community health worker Hector Gallegos and nurse Jose Lopez gather supplies to treat homeless patients in Modesto, California.

Health & Safety

Should Medicaid pay to help someone find a home? California is trying it

5:01am November 15, 2023

California is making the nation's most ambitious effort yet to cover non-traditional health care services like housing and food for some of the state's sickest and most vulnerable residents.

A photo of Gov. Roy Cooper standing alongside state Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley

Health & Safety

Guilford County expands staff in preparation for Medicaid expansion

4:03pm November 08, 2023

by DJ Simmons

Guilford County is increasing staff in preparation for Medicaid expansion, which begins December 1 and will give more than 600,000 North Carolinians access to health care.

Gov. Cooper signs Medicaid expansion bill.

Health & Safety

Spreading the word about Medicaid expansion means all hands on deck

4:54pm October 10, 2023

by David Ford

Beginning December 1, 2023, hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will become eligible for health care coverage through Medicaid. The services provided include primary and maternity care as well as hospital stays, prescription drug benefits, and more. Many efforts are underway at the state and local level to connect newly eligible individuals to these resources.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and other members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus could force a federal government shutdown Oct. 1. The National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention would be affected.

What happens to health programs if the federal government shuts down?

10:26pm September 27, 2023

by Julie Rovner

Medicare and Medicaid are mandatory spending programs and that keeps them relatively safe in the early days of the shutdown, but 42% of the Department of Health's staff will be furloughed.