N.C. Medicaid expansion bill to be signed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is signing the Medicaid expansion bill later this afternoon.

Advocates say this could provide coverage to 600,000 more people in the state, providing more help to low-income adults.

The House voted in favor of this bill last week and the Senate approved it with a near-unanimous vote a few weeks prior.

Close to 3 million people in North Carolina are already enrolled in the program. Data shows that Mecklenburg County has the highest number of Medicaid recipients with close to 300,000 people are enrolled.

[Previous coverage: NC approves Medicaid expansion, reversing long opposition]

The bill gained lots of bipartisan support over the last couple months, but some that oppose it are still concerned about the costs.

The federal government pays for 90% of the program. The state will be responsible for 10% of the costs.

“You’re talking about 600,000 North Carolinians who will have access to healthcare that didn’t have it. Not only is there access for those who to get healthy and stay healthy, it’s a job creator,” said Representative Mary Belk.

Representative Jay Adams offered another perspective, saying, “We can pay our 10% and we can pay it from surpluses. But the 90 % the feds will put in they aren’t going to pay it from surpluses – they are going to create additional debt.”

Although the bill will be signed, it comes with one caveat: It won’t go into effect until a state budget is approved.

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