NC Justice Center and partners will kick off Medicaid expansion with nearly two dozen outreach and enrollment events

Press release from N.C. Justice Center:

RALEIGH (November 29, 2023) – In close collaboration with partners across the state, the NC Justice Center is excited to announce that nearly two dozen outreach and enrollment events are planned in just the first week of the launch of North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion program.

After a decade of advocacy, community partners, providers, and advocates have been busy finally planning for Medicaid expansion outreach, education, and enrollment events to ensure that this life-changing policy starts off strong on day one with a robust community presence.

These outreach and enrollment events are scheduled to take place in nearly every corner of the state, and community members will be distributing over 20,000 Medicaid expansion outreach and educational resources on the first day alone.

“Enrolling hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will be a multi-year project. But our team has been working really hard to create wonderful resources to reach and educate as many North Carolinians as possible starting on day one of Medicaid expansion,” Nicole Dozier, Director of the Health Advocacy Project at the NC Justice Center said.

“We want to meet people where they are and make sure that people have engaging and informative materials on eligibility criteria, how to sign up, and access care.”

Medicaid expansion will benefit most adults aged 19 to 64 with incomes from $0 up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level or $20,120 annually for a household of one. This will impact North Carolinians who form the backbone of our economy—for example, hospitality staff, construction workers, and retail workers.

“December 1 is also World AIDS Day, which is a wonderful stroke of fate as Medicaid expansion will impact so many folks living with HIV,” Veleria Levy, Executive Director of N.C. AIDS Action Network said. “Medicaid is a critical source of health insurance coverage for people living with HIV and we’re thrilled to celebrate the first day of Medicaid expansion alongside World AIDS Day with AIDS service organizations across the state.”

For more information on the importance of Medicaid expansion to people living with HIV, please click here.

Please see below for a complete list of events along with contact information for community members organizing the events.

Locations and Events Beyond December 1 

December 2, Black Mountain, Buncombe County: Outreach and Education Event at Camp Dorothy Walls AME Zion, 495 Cragmont Road, Black Mountain. Contact: Dr. Eleanor Greene, 336-905-4317 or eleanorgreene@northstate.net

December 6, Waynesville: N.C. Navigators Enrollment Event, 12 PM – 5 PM, at the Haywood County Public Library, 678 S Haywood Street, Waynesville, NC, 28786. Click here for more information. Contact: Sammy Leach, Communications Director, N.C. Navigators Consortium, 919-696-7848 or sammyl@legalaidnc.org

December 6, Canton: N.C. Navigators Enrollment Event, 1 PM – 5:30 PM, at the Haywood County Public Library, 11 Pennsylvania Ave, Canton, NC, 28716. Click here for more information. Contact: Sammy Leach, Communications Director, N.C. Navigators Consortium, 919-696-7848 or sammyl@legalaidnc.org

December 7, Canton: N.C. Navigators Enrollment Event, 12 PM – 5 PM, at the Haywood County Public Library, 11 Pennsylvania Ave, Canton, NC, 28716. Click here for more information. Contact: Sammy Leach, Communications Director, N.C. Navigators Consortium, 919-696-7848 or sammyl@legalaidnc.org