PRICE ON ACA SUCCESS: REPORT SHOWS NC 5TH IN SIGN-UPS, TIME FOR MEDICAID EXPANSION IS NOW

Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative David Price (NC-04) highlighted a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services that says North Carolina trails only California, Florida, New York and Texas in the number of people signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. According to the report, 107,778 North Carolinians have signed up for coverage through the healthcare.gov marketplace. Across the country, 2.15 million Americans have selected plans through the marketplace.

“The Affordable Care Act has now helped over 107,000 North Carolinians access affordable, quality health care. Thousands more have an opportunity to sign-up at healthcare.gov before enrollment ends on March 31.

“While the Department’s report shows many North Carolinians are able to access insurance through the marketplace, the untold story is that at least 377,000 North Carolinians will go without the coverage promised by the Affordable Care Act because of a wrongheaded, political decision made by Governor McCrory and his allies in the General Assembly. I call on Governor McCrory and the Republican leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly to reconsider their decision to block the ACA’s 100 percent federally-funded Medicaid expansion. Access to health care is a matter of life and death, and our state’s poorest residents deserve political leaders who put their wellbeing ahead of politics and animosity towards the President.”

Some of the country’s most conservative Republican governors, in Iowa, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey and Ohio, have expanded Medicaid to provide care for their state’s poorest residents.

According to the report, 70% of North Carolinians enrolling through the healthcare.gov marketplace selected silver plans. Sixteen percent selected bronze plans, 9% gold plans, 5% platinum plans and 1% catastrophic plans.

The report further undermines the Republican claim that more people have lost coverage under the Affordable Care Act than gained coverage. Last year, the Obama Administration allowed individuals to remain on plans cancelled because they did not meet the ACA’s adequate coverage requirements. The administrative change required insurers to inform consumers of their option to purchase coverage through the marketplace, where many will qualify for premium assistance, and disclose the protections their policyholders will forgo if they choose to keep the plan they have. The Republican claim was also debunked by a House committee report.

Congressional Republicans remain committed to full repeal of the law, which would result in the 2.15 million Americans accessing coverage through the ACA’s marketplaces losing their health insurance plans.

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