Today, Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai joined rural health providers and community leaders for a roundtable discussion on how access to health care coverage through NC Medicaid is a lifeline for rural communities. With Congress considering cuts to the program, leaders noted rural communities would be particularly hard hit.
“NC Medicaid is an innovative and fiscally responsible program that has thrived with bipartisan support and helps keep North Carolinians healthy, especially in rural communities,” said Governor Josh Stein. “We must protect this life-changing health care that gives more than 3 million North Carolinians peace of mind and that strengthens our rural hospitals.”
In some rural counties, more than half of the population has affordable health coverage through NC Medicaid. In addition, Medicaid is a major source of funding for the state’s rural hospitals, many of which are struggling financially. When more people have health care coverage, hospitals have a lower burden for covering the cost of care for those who remain uninsured, better supporting financial stability.
Access to health care makes North Carolinians healthier – more than 230,000 people in rural communities enrolled in Medicaid under expansion and can now get check-ups, prescriptions and other services they need. Across the state, Medicaid covers 3 million people, or 1 in 4 North Carolinians, including children, older adults, people living with disabilities and working adults.
“NC Medicaid saves lives by providing preventive screenings, care during and after pregnancy, mental health support, substance use treatment, low cost prescriptions and so much more,” said Secretary Sangvai. “North Carolinians know the value and importance of what NC Medicaid does for communities and our state.”
The roundtable was hosted by UNC Health Nash, a non-profit hospital authority in Nash County that serves patients from several rural counties in eastern NC. The discussion falls at a critical time for the Medicaid program, as federal proposals threaten to harm the program and the people it serves. Despite widespread support for Medicaid, Congress is proposing massive cuts that will hurt North Carolina. Current proposals could take health coverage away from 640,000 working North Carolinians overnight, worsen health outcomes, take billions from our economy, disproportionately harm rural communities, and drive up costs for everyone, including employers.
“Hospitals like Nash see first-hand every single day how Medicaid provides patients with access to critical services that keep them healthy and able to work and contribute to society,” said L. Lee Isley, president and CEO of UNC Health Nash. “Any cuts to Medicaid or the direct payment programs that reimburse hospitals for their services to these patients would have catastrophic and unintended consequences. Not only would these cuts significantly limit patient access to healthcare, but they would force rural hospitals to shutter services that are essential to the health of a community.”
Other roundtable participants included:
- Dr. L. Lee Isley, FACHE, President and CEO, UNC Health Nash
- Reuben Blackwell, CEO, OIC Family Medical Center, Rocky Mount City Council
- Dr. Joanna Dauber, DO, NCMP, Family Medicine and Primary Care Provider, UNC Health Nash
- Tyronda “Ty” Whitaker, Regional Long Term Care Ombudsman, Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments