Congressman Don Davis Marks One Year of Medicaid Expansion In North Carolina

Today, Congressman Don Davis (NC-01), Co-Chair of the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus, marked the first anniversary of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina on the U.S. House of Representatives floor. The milestone comes after more than a decade of advocacy from patients, providers, and elected officials. 

“After a decade of waiting, in some cases, dying, we must now celebrate that over 95,000 eastern North Carolinians once trapped in the Medicaid coverage gap now have access to healthcare,” said Congressman Don Davis. “Medicaid expansion and the new Center for Medical Education at East Carolina University will address health disparities and help to create thousands of jobs in our most economically distressed communities. As Co-Chair of the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus, I am glad to have been part of the effort in the NC General Assembly and US Congress to ensure a brighter future for families across eastern North Carolina.”

After Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 76, Access to Healthcare Options, into law, more than 95,000 residents of eastern North Carolina and nearly 600,000 North Carolinians statewide gained access to healthcare through Medicaid. Governor Cooper marked this milestone at ECU Health in Greenville.

During his 12 years in the NC General Assembly, Congressman Davis worked to ensure approval of both the new Center for Medical Education building and Medicaid expansion, which work hand in hand to create more than 3,000 jobs across eastern North Carolina and save countless lives. As hospitals and other healthcare facilities face financial obstacles because their payer mix skews towards Medicare and Medicaid, the expansion will and already is providing an economic lifeline. Since the closure of Martin General Hospital and the efforts by Washington Regional Medical Center to fill some of the void, Congressman Davis has fought to ensure critical infrastructure funding and continued support for Rural Emergency Hospitals at the federal level. 

January 12, 2023 - Congressman Davis delivers his first floor remarksadvocating for Medicaid expansion at the federal level.

February 9, 2023 - Congressman Davis introduces H.Res. 122, a resolution expressing support for a federal alternative to statewide Medicaid expansion.

February 10, 2023 - Congressmen Davis (NC-01), Cohen (TN-09), and Johnson (GA-04), then representing three non-expansion states, re-launched the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus to voice support at the federal level for Medicaid expansion across all fifty states.

December 1, 2023 - The State Medicaid Expansion Caucus applauds North Carolina expanding Medicaid after more than a decade of negotiations in the North Carolina General Assembly. 

The video of the remarks from today can be found here.