From The News & Observer: Give low-income families options for affordable health care
Because the North Carolina General Assembly refuses to expand Medicaid many North Carolina families fall into the cracks between Medicaid and the ACA. These families make too much money to receive Medicaid and too little to qualify for ACA subsidies. Access to affordable care should be available to everyone. Now with the essential CHIP program on the chopping block, this means 200,000 children in NC alone could be left without insurance. Hard working families are paying the highest prices for health care. This unfair burden on working families is because of Republican’s callous refusal to expand Medicaid in an attempt to sabotage the ACA with no care for who it hurts.
Regarding “Message from Va. to NC – expand Medicaid” (Nov. 12): The General Assembly has refused Medicaid expansion numerous times without a compelling case to support this inaction. As more families suffer from the effects of being uninsured, the arguments against expansion weaken. North Carolina residents work hard every day and need access to health care now. There are approximately 400,000 people in our state who can’t access affordable health care coverage. Their incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid without the expansion, yet their incomes are also too low to qualify for subsidies in the federal health insurance exchange.
An innovative solution, Carolina Cares (HB 662), is an alternative to Medicaid expansion that would provide an insurance option for low-income families. It requires a commitment to preventive care and wellness practices, as well as modest premiums and co-payments. It is worthy of prompt consideration and action.
Our working families deserve accessible and affordable health care now. It is crucial to the future of our state. Medicaid expansion or Carolina Cares would be a big step in the right direction. Recent elections in other states should be audible to the members of the General Assembly. People are fed up.
C. DALE GAMES, FSA, MAAA
HILLSBOROUGH
