When I bump into neighbors at the Fayetteville farmers market or greet nurses at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, no one asks about the fine print of “Section 1902 of the Social Security Act.” They ask whether their child can still get insulin, whether an aging parent can keep the home-care aide who helps him dress, whether the clinic down the highway will stay open next month. Every one of those worries is really one question in disguise: Will Medicaid still be there to hold us up when we need it most? In North Carolina, Medicaid is the safety net that keeps families healthy and whole — and when it frays, so does the fabric of our entire community.
Since we expanded Medicaid in 2023, more than 640,000 newly eligible North Carolinians have gained health coverage. Doctors have written four million prescriptions for chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease, and families tell me they finally feel safe scheduling regular checkups instead of waiting for the next crisis to drive them to the emergency room. All told, more than three million people in our state now count on Medicaid to stay healthy enough to work hard, raise children, serve in uniform, and care for loved ones.
In North Carolina, Medicaid critical for women, children’s health
Those numbers are personal to me. Nearly four in ten births in our state are now covered by Medicaid, meaning mothers receive the prenatal care that keeps both mom and baby safe. For thousands of families every year, that peace of mind is worth more than any statistic.
Opinion I was a social worker and I’m a mom. Medicaid is a lifeline worth fighting for…