Healthcare

North Carolina state Rep. James Roberson, D-Wake, takes a picture with fellow House Democratic members on the House floor after the chamber gave final approval to a Medicaid expansion agreement in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday, March 23, 2023. The affirmative vote means the legislation laying out expansion details now goes to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. (AP Photo/ Gary Gary Robertson)

Healthcare Republican Support for Medicaid Expansion Comes With Strings Attached

GOP leaders in the General Assembly finally budged on expanding healthcare options for 600,000 North Carolinians, but the bill is not without partisan games.

Michael McElroy March 24, 2023 1:10 pm EDT

Healthcare

FILE - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks at a primary election night event hosted by the North Carolina Democratic Party in Raleigh, N.C., May 17, 2022. A Medicaid expansion deal in North Carolina received final legislative approval Thursday, March 23, 2023, likely ending a decade of debate over whether the closely politically divided state should accept the federal government's coverage for hundreds of thousands of low-income adults. Cooper, a longtime expansion advocate, is expected to sign the bill, which would leave 10 states in the U.S. that have not adopted expansion. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown, File)

Healthcare North Carolina Finally Approves Medicaid Expansion

For more than a decade, Republicans blocked a federally-funded expansion of healthcare to a half-million North Carolinians. On Thursday, they finally budged.

Associated Press March 23, 2023 11:59 am EDT

Economy

FILE - President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's plans to protect Social Security and Medicare and lower healthcare costs, Feb. 9, 2023, at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla. It seems like no one wants to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits, including Biden, who is already telling voters that his upcoming federal budget proposal will “defend and strengthen” the programs. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Economy Biden Proposes Taxes on the Rich to Strengthen Medicare Funding

Biden’s plan would increase the Medicare tax rate on Americans earning above $400,000 from 3.8% to 5% to help keep Medicare solvent into the 2050s. No one earning under $400,000 a year would pay a dime more in taxes, under Biden’s plan.

Isabel Soisson March 7, 2023 4:43 pm EST

Healthcare

North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, center, speaks at a news conference about a Medicaid expansion agreement, Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Healthcare NC Lawmakers Reach Deal to Expand Medicaid Health Insurance to Cover 600,000 More Residents

Medicaid expansion has been shown to save lives, improve postpartum maternal health outcomes, expand access to mental healthcare and substance use, and prevent rural hospitals from closing.