A Medicaid expansion deal in North Carolina is now official after Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed it into law Monday.
North Carolina has 2.9 million enrollees in traditional Medicaid coverage. Advocates have estimated that expansion could help 600,000 adults.
"The strength of our communities depends on the health of our people," Cooper said before signing the bill into law Monday. "Today is a historic step."
The bill received final legislative approval on Thursday, capping 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.
"For the workers in our communities who perform some of our most essential tasks – caring for our children, tending to the sick and elderly, stocking our grocery shelves and staffing our restaurants – this law will bring so many the opportunity for better health and a better life," Cooper said on Monday.
North Carolina is among states with Republican leaders that are considering expanding Medicaid after years of steadfast opposition. Voters in South Dakota approved expansion in a referendum in November. And in Alabama, advocates are urging lawmakers to take advantage of federal incentives to expand Medicaid in order to provide health insurance to more working people.
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