RALEIGH – Today, Roy Cooper issued the following statement on the third anniversary of signing Medicaid Expansion into law.
“As Governor, three years ago today, I proudly signed Medicaid Expansion into law for North Carolinians,” said Roy Cooper. “It was the working families bill of the decade and will inspire my fight as Senator to lower your health care costs. But now, Washington DC insiders like my opponent Michael Whatley are spiking health care costs while gutting Medicaid and vital premium tax credits that help working people afford insurance. These attacks are sending health costs skyrocketing for most everyone, and it’s plain wrong. I’m ready to go to Washington to work with anyone I can to take on health insurance companies that are crushing working families with hidden fees and denied claims, make health care cost less and reverse the devastating cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.”
From his first days as Governor, Roy Cooper fought to expand Medicaid. He led the charge by building a non-traditional coalition of advocates – law enforcement leaders and sheriffs, business leaders, Republican county commissioners – who knew that Medicaid expansion would benefit their communities. Ultimately, Roy moved a Republican supermajority legislature to pass Medicaid expansion into law after many years of opposing the program.
More than 720,000 North Carolinians now have affordable health care because of it, and Medicaid Expansion also provides a lifeline for rural communities, bringing an influx of critical federal funding to help keep rural hospitals and emergency rooms open.
Roy has highlighted how he’ll work to lower health care costs in the U.S. Senate as part of his statewide “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour.
###