What’s at stake as legislative leaders double down on Medicaid blockade

Last week, conservative leaders at North Carolina General Assembly launched a legal attack against Gov. Cooper’s efforts to expand Medicaid. In so doing, these lawmakers went against the desires of 72 percent of North Carolinians who want to fix the health insurance gap by expanding Medicaid. Suing both the federal and state Department of Health and Human Services to prevent expansion hurts all of North Carolina. Instead of recognizing and accepting the health, social, and economic benefits of Medicaid expansion, state lawmakers are trying to extend the life of the Medicaid Blockade.

It is difficult to understand why policymakers continue to block efforts to close the coverage gap considering that up to 500,000 people could gain health coverage. A study released in 2014 examined both the preventive outcomes of expansion and the adverse health outcomes if North Carolina did not extend coverage to adults in the coverage gap. The study reported that Medicaid expansion could help prevent approximately 1,000 deaths per year. Further, Medicaid expansion could allow for nearly 27,000 people to receive medications to manage diabetes and allow approximately 12,000 women to receive mammograms.

Considering that most state lawmakers want to promote job growth and increase business activity throughout North Carolina, it is hard to believe that they continue the Medicaid blockade despite the projected economic benefits. One report shows that up to 43,000 jobs could be created by 2020, 13,228 of which are jobs in rural counties of the state. North Carolina’s vulnerable and rural hospitals would also experience an economic boost if Medicaid is expanded. In just one year, one hospital group reported a drop of $35 million in uncompensated care. Arkansas and Michigan are two states that reported decreases greater than 50 percent in uncompensated care. A more recent qualitative study reported that reductions in uncompensated care and the boost to health provider budgets allows for promotes increase in ways to improve on quality of care.

North Carolina has had the opportunity to improve the health and financial standing for children and families, low-wage workers, veterans, and rural residents since 2014. Tragically, state lawmakers continue to block the positive short and long-term impacts Medicaid expansion will have on our state. At some point in the near future, it seems certain that they will regret this decision.