North Carolina’s Medicaid expansion hits enrollment goal about a year ahead of projections

RALEIGH, N.C. — About a year after the program expanded, more than 600,000 people have enrolled in North Carolina’s new Medicaid coverage for low-income adults. the state’s enrollment goal for the program in about half the time originally expected, the governor’s office announced Monday.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, an outspoken advocate for Medicaid expansion during his two terms in office, called the enrollment numbers a “monumental achievement.”

“From day one, we have been committed to insuring people and arranging care for them. Now more than 600,000 people have the peace of mind that they can go to the doctor, get the medications they need and manage their chronic health conditions – it’s life-changing,” Cooper said in a statement.

Cooper will leave his position at the end of the year due to term limits.

Despite years of opposition in the Republican Party-controlled General Assembly, Medicaid expanded in North Carolina passed with bipartisan support Last year after Congress offered states more financial incentives to participate in the program. The federal government will pay 90% of the expansion costs under the program.

In just the first few weeks after the rollout of the programthe state had 300,000 North Carolinians – half the target – enrolled in the Medicaid expansion. North Carolina is among a handful of Southern states now participating in the program.

According to Cooper’s office, more than a third of the people registered for expansion are from rural communities. About 4.1 million recipes related to heart health, diabetes and other diseases have been filled so far because of the new coverage, the governor’s office said.