The expansion of state-funded medical insurance increases the amount of North Carolinians who have access to medical insurance. Many of those participating in the program have limited income resources.
Since Dec. 1, 2023, over 40,000 people enrolled in North Carolina’s Medicaid program bringing the current total to approximately 315,000 people. The change allowed citizens to access treatment and increased the total income cutoff a household may earn while remaining eligible for state Medicaid insurance.
Although the program is organized by the state of North Carolina, the state receives a majority of funding from the federal government. In 2019, Medicaid spending totaled $13.8 billion, but 67.3% of that funding came from the federal government — the remaining roughly $4.5 billion came from state-allocated funds.
Single adults who make up to $20,120 before taxes per year are eligible for NC Medicaid under the new expansion. The expansion also adjusted the upper-income limit for households of varying sizes. For instance, households with four members earning $41,400 or less are eligible for Medicaid. For each additional household member, $7,093 is added to the upper-income limit for households to be eligible.
The Medicaid program exists to support households in need of healthcare, but struggle to afford life-saving medical treatments and services. Medicaid fully covers various medical treatments such as care for pregnant citizens, those with substance use disorders and mental health illnesses. The majority of remaining treatments and medications that aren’t fully covered by Medicaid are partially covered through the maximum copay for members, which is $4 for visits and prescriptions at the time of this article’s publication.
Federal and state governments spend considerable amounts of their annual budget on healthcare services to ensure that people in the United States have access to healthcare and treatment. Such spending can come with controversy: in early 2023, the government allocated 29% of the federal budget towards healthcare services. As country-wide debt continued to grow, many criticized the percentage of funds going towards healthcare. Some believe that heavily cutting spending on services such as government-funded healthcare is a step towards alleviating the money that the country owes.
Others argue that, in light of the general decreasing health of the population, Medicaid remains essential. In a report issued by the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy at birth, highest infant mortality rate and highest suicide rates among other high-income countries. It also has obesity levels nearly twice of other countries a part of the OCED.
North Carolina has also employed civic organizations and local activists to reach communities with residents that meet Medicaid eligibility standards, in an attempt to reach as many patients as possible.
