More than 1.3 million North Carolinians stand to lose health care coverage by 2026 under the proposed Senate health care bill, according to a new analysis of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) coverage estimates.
Experts estimate that more than 700,000 people would lose coverage in the private insurance market, making North Carolina the third worst state in the country for losses in the private market. In addition, more than 600,000 people are projected to lose Medicaid coverage—which could include about 26,000 veterans. In total, under the Senate health care bill, more than 10 percent of North Carolinians would lose their health insurance coverage.
“The plan being rushed through the Senate this week would take health care away from a staggering 1.3 million North Carolinians and that is just wrong,” Gov. Cooper said. “This bill would increase out-of-pocket costs, kick people off health care, and harm our ability to fight the opioid crisis. I urge Senator Burr and Senator Tillis to oppose this dangerous bill.”
North Carolina’s private insurance market would also be acutely harmed by the Senate health care bill. The state would lose more than a half billion dollars a year in cost sharing assistance that lowers deductibles for 400,000 people, and nearly one million North Carolinians who are able to keep their employer coverage could see dollar caps put on their benefits. Experts also estimate that similar proposals will cost North Carolina’s economy more than 40,000 jobs.
"I’m intensely distressed by plans to take away health care from North Carolinians who have served our country. Veterans in our state face many health challenges that will only get worse without critical Medicaid coverage,” said NC Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary Larry Hall.