RALEIGH – Today, Governor Cooper celebrated two years since Medicaid Expansion went live in North Carolina. More than 690,000 North Carolinians have been enrolled in health coverage and gotten access to doctors and medicine since Medicaid Expansion launched on December 1, 2023.
“Today marks two years since Medicaid Expansion launched in North Carolina after almost a decade of fighting to make it a reality,” said Governor Cooper. “It’s been a game-changer for working people, lowering costs and bringing quality health care to more than 690,000 North Carolinians and counting. I’ll keep working in the U.S. Senate to make sure every North Carolinian can afford the health care they need and deserve.”
Initial estimates projected that it would take as long as two years to enroll 600,000 people, but North Carolina reached that milestone after just one year of the program being live. Now, that initial goal has been surpassed with 690,000 people enrolled.
Starting from his first days in office, Governor Cooper fought to expand Medicaid. He led the charge by holding roundtable events across the state and building a non-traditional coalition of advocates – conservative sheriffs, business leaders, Republican county commissioners – who knew that Medicaid expansion would benefit their communities. Ultimately, Governor Cooper succeeded in moving a Republican supermajority legislature to pass Medicaid expansion into law after many years of opposing the program. In Washington, Governor Cooper will use that same bipartisan problem solving to bring people together and get results for North Carolina.
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