Congressman Don Davis Cosponsors Legislation to Overcome Barriers to Medicaid Expansion

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) proudly co-sponsored H.R. 31, the Cover Outstanding Vulnerable Expansion-Eligible Residents Now (COVER Now) Act. This legislation allows the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to partner directly with local governments to expand Medicaid coverage.

“Expanding accessible health care is one of my top priorities in Congress. The North Carolina state legislature has failed to expand Medicaid. Failure to do so ultimately  prevents more than 95,000 eastern North Carolinians from accessing lifesaving health care and bringing more than 3,000 jobs to the east. The COVER Now Act puts an end to that,” said Congressman Davis. “This bill bypasses state legislators while establishing a program for local authorities to provide health benefits to residents in states that have not expanded Medicaid. I am proud to join my colleagues from the non-expansion states to ensure all citizens across eastern North Carolina have the resources they need to access health care." 

 The COVER Now Act will take critical steps to meaningfully change our health care system by: 

• Authorizing CMS to contract directly with counties and other local governments to establish demonstration projects expanding Medicaid coverage to their residents.
• Providing 100% federal funding for the first four years with a gradual reduction to 93% of federal funding by year seven and thereafter for participating rural governments, who stand to benefit most. 
• Allowing participating entities to apply individually or jointly if they wish to establish a regional expansion project.
• Keeping existing Medicaid rules and systems in place that apply to the local expansion programs.
• Requiring states to cooperate by authorizing access for local governments to State Medicaid programs. States would be subject to federal penalties for non-cooperation.
• Ensuring that, in the event a state expands Medicaid, eligible beneficiaries enrolled in a local expansion program would be automatically enrolled in the newly expanded state program.

###