Medicaid expansion over quarter-million since first-day automatics

(The Center Square) – Medicaid expansion has brought an additional 503,967 enrollments in North Carolina since the Dec. 1 implementation.

For context, however, those by genuine choice is 231,030. On the first day, an automatic increase of 272,937 happened as part of the family population moved to full coverage. The half-million number was “celebrated” in a release from the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Kody Kinsley, and the office of Gov. Roy Cooper.

"This year, we have worked tirelessly with our partners to help newly eligible North Carolinians get covered by Medicaid fast and get them connected to care," Kinsley said. "Our new dashboard will showcase the positive impact of all the lives saved and peace of mind provided for North Carolinians by NC Medicaid."

The health insurance program for low-income and people in need is paid with county, state and federal tax dollars. More than 1 million of the state’s 10.8 million population is covered, and the demographics include children, elderly, blind and the disabled. Also covered are people eligible to receive federal assisted income maintenance payments.

Lawmakers, with Republican majorities staunchly against Medicaid expansion for years, attached enactment of the state budget to the expansion last year. Cooper allowed the budget bill to become law without his signature, though the Sept. 22 agreement of the General Assembly was well tardy of the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

KFF, an independent nonprofit research, polling and journalism entity, monitors the unwinding of eligibility redeterminations associated with federal Medicaid rules and funding from the COVID-19 era. The continuous enrollment provision expired April 1, 2023.

As of Friday, KFF analysis says from 94 million enrolled in March 2023, there have been 53.7 million with coverage renewed, 24.2 million disenrolled and 16.3 million more renewals remaining. For North Carolina , the rate is among the lowest in the country for disenrollment at 12% (more than 270,000); coverage has been renewed for more than 1.9 million.

The budget approved by lawmakers in September includes $220 million in recurring funds to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers of mental health, substance use disorder, and intellectual and developmental disability-related services. Those rate increases took effect on Jan. 1.