North Carolina’s governor visits rural areas to promote Medicaid expansion delayed by budget wait
Associated PressYADKINVILLE, N.C. — With a Medicaid expansion kickoff likely delayed further in North Carolina as General Assembly budget negotiations drag on, Democratic Gov. “It’s past time for Republican leaders to do their jobs, pass a budget and start Medicaid expansion now to give our rural areas resources to prevent hospital closures and combat the opioid crisis,” Cooper said in a news release summarizing his visit to Yadkin County on Thursday. While Moore said Thursday he was hopeful expansion could still start Oct. 1, Berger reiterated that missing the Sept. 1 deadline would appear to delay it. North Carolina’s expansion law would result in higher reimbursement rates for these and other hospitals to keep them open and give an economic boost to the region, according to Cooper’s office.