Press Release from Pigsah Legal Services:
Medicaid is undergoing significant changes in North Carolina. Expansion is now on the horizon — pending budget approval it will launch on Oct. 1, 2023, benefiting more than 600,000 people in the state. In the meantime, terminations are underway, leaving thousands without coverage.
Local nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services is hosting a free community forum for area nonprofits and community partners who need to be aware of these changes and how they affect people in our community. “Changes to Medicaid in NC: Transformation, Unwinding & Expansion” will help organizations understand all the changes to Medicaid in the interest of better serving folks in Western North Carolina.
The community forum will be held on Tuesday, August 15, from 9:30-11:15 a.m. in the AB Tech Conference Center. The conference center is located at 16 Fernihurst Drive, Asheville. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. for a light breakfast and networking. The program begins at 10 a.m.
As we wait for Medicaid expansion to launch, Medicaid recipients across North Carolina are losing coverage as a result of the national public health emergency ending in March. Local DSS offices are checking to see if all existing Medicaid recipients are still eligible for coverage. Those who are not eligible or don’t return the information needed to verify their eligibility will have their coverage terminated.
“Changes to Medicaid in NC” will feature eight distinguished speakers from organizations around the state who can speak to these changes. This includes Dr. Shannon Dowler, Chief Medical Officer of NC Medicaid, as well as representatives from the NC Justice Center, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, MANNA FoodBank, Dogwood Health Trust and Pisgah Legal Services. The Honorable Terry Van Duyn will provide closing remarks.
Visit pisgahlegal.org/medicaid for more information and to register for the event. This event will be livestreamed and recorded for those who cannot attend in person. A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants before the event.
Are you a Medicaid recipient who wants to learn more about these changes? Visit NCMEDHELP.org.
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