Cooper hopes for agreement on Medicaid expansion for NC in coming weeks

Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday from outside the White House that he hopes to see an agreement on Medicaid expansion in North Carolina within the next week or so.

But Republican lawmakers cautioned that it might take time to deliver a deal.

The Democratic governor visited the nation’s capital Wednesday for an event with Vice President Kamala Harris on the impact of the American Rescue Plan on North Carolina’s workforce. The meeting happened the same day that North Carolina was named the top state for business by CNBC.

“It’s great that North Carolina has been honored in this way, as being the No. 1 state for business in this country,” Cooper said.

CNBC uses a number of factors to determine a state’s rankings. North Carolina’s status as a right-to-work state was brought up in the evaluation, and a question about that in an interview with McClatchy propelled Cooper to talk about Medicaid.

“This General Assembly is not going to go near that,” Cooper said of the right-to-work laws that restrict unions. “We have to deal with what’s possible with this General Assembly, so moving them where we have on Medicaid expansion is our No. 1 priority for me.”

North Carolina’s General Assembly is majority Republican and has strongly opposed Medicaid expansion. The state is one of 12 to not adopt Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

But Republicans, including Senate leader Phil Berger, softened to the possibility. Senate and House Republicans each proposed approaches to Medicaid expansion this year, but passed a state budget this week without its inclusion.

If North Carolina passes Medicaid expansion, it stands to gain $1.5 billion from the federal government, on top of 90% of coverage costs for uninsured North Carolinians, estimated to be $8 billion per year, The News & Observer previously reported.

Senate Republicans’ proposal to expand Medicaid would make other changes to the medical industry, The N&O reported, including a partial repeal of “certificate of need” regulations that limit health care companies from large spending without government approval. But health care groups objected, and House Republicans didn’t go along.

Hospitals support the certificate of need regulations. Cooper said Wednesday that hospitals hold the key to ensuring Medicaid expansion passes, and noted the certificate of need regulations as a sticking point.

“I hope that some agreement can be reached within the next week or so,” Cooper said.

“With the Senate and House leadership, now supporting Medicaid expansion and saying some of the same things that we’ve been saying for a while about why it’s needed, I think that the potential for agreement is high,” Cooper said. “We just need to make sure that there is an agreement, compromise and settlement on all of these other issues, so that we can get a bill done and hopefully get Medicaid expansion in place before the end of the year.”

Republicans’ view on negotiations

Rep. Donny Lambeth, a Republican from Winston-Salem, retired hospital executive, and conservative advocate for Medicaid expansion, told The N&O in a text message Wednesday that more negotiation is needed between the House and Senate, whose leaders continue to have different ideas.

“We are still working on options that might work for House, Senate and Governor,” Lambeth wrote. “I think all are working in good faith in an attempt to reach a compromise.”

Rep. Jason Saine, a Republican from Lincolnton and one of the House’s top budget writers, told The N&O Wednesday that Medicaid expansion remains top of mind this summer.

“Talks are ongoing, it is true,” Saine said, adding that he doesn’t know that lawmakers will come back anytime soon to take action on an expansion.

The General Assembly adjourned on July 1, but are scheduled to reconvene on July 26. It’s unclear if any action will be taken that day. From Saine’s conversation with The N&O, it seems highly unlikely.

“I don’t know that anything is happening in the next couple of months,” Saine said.

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