On March 27, 2023, Gov. Roy Cooper signed Medicaid expansion into law. In the three years since, over 650,000 North Carolinians have gained access to affordable health care. 

Medicaid expansion has proven to be a life-changing policy for North Carolinians. During an era where costs are rising everywhere– gas, groceries, electricity, you name it– having access to affordable health care is huge. 

Health coverage means actually being able to go to a primary care doctor for preventative care. It means being able to afford a prescription, rather than skipping doses to make ends meet. It means less debt, debt that can set you behind when it comes to paying the rent or covering other expenses. 

The Medicaid expansion stats have been telling. Since 2023, more than 11 million prescriptions have been filled by new enrollees for heart health, diabetes, seizure disorders, and other serious illnesses. More than 191,000 North Carolinians have accessed dental services, people who likely hadn’t been able to afford dental care for some time. 

Expansion has especially impacted rural North Carolina. More than 244,500 members of rural communities – more than one in three of all newly eligible people – enrolled. Medicaid funding has helped keep rural hospitals open, ensuring that folks wouldn’t have to take a long drive just to get to the doctor. 

One of those people whose life was changed through Medicaid expansion was Penny. Besides battling breast cancer, Penny also survived a brain aneurysm and had to undergo surgery on both of her eyes. 

But she wasn’t eligible for Medicaid, and she couldn’t afford to purchase health insurance on her own. But she still needed the care to survive, so she took on the debt anyway. The illnesses were one thing, but the medical debt was a whole other challenge.  

“After the radiation, that’s when the debt and the bills started really coming in because I wasn’t able to pay the doctors, and I was uninsured,” said Penny. 

She kept getting bills in the mail. She got harassing calls from debt collectors. Her credit score dropped. Her job applications were flagged due to the low credit score. One of her oncologists even stopped seeing her because she had outstanding bills. 

“It’s like you’re being punished for being sick,” Penny said. “And it’s not your fault, and no one should feel like they’re being punished.” 

On the day that Medicaid expansion was signed into law, Gov. Cooper handed a new insurance card to Penny. She now had access to care. She no longer had to worry about what would happen if the cancer came back. She no longer would have to burden herself with unimaginable debt just to access the care she needs to survive. 

Penny is just one of the over 650,000 North Carolinians whose lives were changed by Medicaid expansion. Unfortunately, that progress is now at risk as Congressional Republicans cut roughly $1 trillion from Medicaid last summer, and NC Republicans haven’t stepped in to fill the gap. 

Just three years ago, expanding affordable health care access wasn’t a partisan issue. Gov. Cooper and North Carolinians across our state advocated, organized, and rallied for years to make expansion a reality. And in the end, they did it with bipartisan support– a rarity these days. 

The anniversary of Medicaid expansion isn’t just a moment to reflect on the importance of affordable health care, it’s an opportunity to reflect on what effective leadership looks like. Leadership is persistence, it’s collaboration, it’s putting the needs of everyday people over the greed of huge corporations and the wealthiest few. And Gov. Cooper did that.  

We’re facing so many challenges right now, challenges that can sometimes feel insurmountable. But today is a reminder that with the right leadership, we can still work together to create meaningful change for families all across our state.