Press release from Indivisible Asheville/WNC:
A special presentation at Indivisible Asheville/WNC’s Tuesday, Feb. 26 general meeting will cover North Carolina’s current healthcare coverage gap that leaves 70% of low-income adults in the state uninsured and will show how Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) works to close that gap.
As one of only 17 states that have refused free federal funds through the ACA for expanding Medicaid, North Carolina now has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country, with over 600,000 adults employed but uninsured. Currently, adults in North Carolina aged 18 to 64 who aren’t disabled and don’t have a dependent child do NOT qualify for Medicaid, no matter how poor they are. As a result, Medicaid only covers 30% of low-income adults, including working parents, and an estimated half a million North Carolinians fall in the coverage gap, not qualifying for Medicaid yet not earning enough to qualify for health insurance subsidies under the ACA.
“Healthcare is one of the top issues on voters’ minds today, and a large majority of North Carolinians support closing the Medicaid gap,” said Indivisible Asheville/WNC steering committee member Brenda Murphree. “We’ve lost billions of dollars in free federal funds and watched five rural hospitals close their doors since refusing to accept Medicaid expansion. It’s time to turn that around.”
The meeting will be held at Mountain Madre, located at 13 West Walnut Street, in downtown Asheville, and is free and open to the public. Fact sheets and action steps will be provided.
Nonpartisan information on Medicaid expansion in North Carolina is also available from the North Carolina Justice Center at NCJustice.org and from the League of Women Voters NC at CloseTheGapNC.org.
Indivisible Asheville/WNC is a non-partisan grassroots group dedicated to defending democracy with informed community action in Western North Carolina. The group meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at a central location. For more information, or to join the mailing list, visit IndivisibleAVL.org or follow @IndivisibleAVL on Facebook and Twitter.
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