Governor Stein Urges the U.S. Senate to Protect the Health and Well-Being of North Carolinians and Oppose Cuts to SNAP and Medicaid
Analysis shows nearly half a million North Carolinians could lose their health care
(RALEIGH) Governor Josh Stein today sent a letter to U.S. Senators Tillis and Budd laying out the consequences of the U.S. House reconciliation bill for North Carolina families, including cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). That bill, along with impending expiration of health care marketplace subsidies, could cause nearly half a million North Carolinians to lose their health care.
Recent modeling estimates show that 255,000 North Carolinians are at risk of losing coverage under the Medicaid provisions alone in the House bill and a Kaiser Family Foundation study projected that the combination of Medicaid and Marketplace changes in the House Bill would increase the number of uninsured North Carolinians to an estimated 470,000 if Marketplace subsidies expire at the end of 2025.
“Medicaid and SNAP improve the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, support our economy, and provide critical support to local governments, hospitals, farmers, and grocers,” said Governor Josh Stein. “North Carolina has taken bipartisan steps to strengthen our health system and protect working families. I urge the Senate to continue that progress by opposing these unprecedented cuts to SNAP and Medicaid that would leave North Carolinians, especially those in rural communities, without food assistance and health care.”
Estimates show that 255,000 North Carolinians would be at risk of losing health coverage under the House bill. The U.S. House bill also contains provisions that could jeopardize the enhanced federal matching funds (FMAP) for Medicaid expansion, which could immediately end health insurance coverage for the more than 650,000 North Carolinians who benefit from Medicaid expansion.
In March, Governor Stein sent a letter to Congress urging them to change course on proposed cuts to Medicaid. He has met with North Carolinians across the state, listening to their stories and hearing how cuts to Medicaid would impact beneficiaries, health care providers, and hospitals, especially those in rural communities. Medicaid is crucial to the state’s most vulnerable people, including children, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, and potential cuts would put their well-being and the stability of the state’s health care system at risk.
Proposals to shift up to 25 percent of SNAP food benefit costs to the states would force North Carolina to come up with $700 million annually to make up the difference or cut vital nutrition services. Rural counties in the state are already stretched thin, and these additional requirements and an administrative cost sharing increase from 50 percent to 75 percent would have a detrimental economic impact on local communities. SNAP adds $2.8 billion directly to North Carolina’s economy and supports local farmers, grocers, and the larger food distribution pipeline. The U.S. House Bill forces the state to make an unacceptable tradeoff between providing essential food support and health insurance coverage or diverting resources from public schools, law enforcement, and economic development.
Click here to read Governor Stein’s full letter to the U.S. Senate.
Click here to view county enrollment data for the SNAP program.
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