The GOP Push for Medicaid Cuts: Risks for North Carolina’s Families
A Threat to Health and Stability: How Medicaid Cuts Will Hurt North Carolina Families.
US House Republicans are advancing proposals to gut Medicaid funding, threatening to destabilize healthcare in North Carolina and beyond. These cuts are not just about budget numbers; they’re about real lives, real families, and the economic health of communities. At the heart of this effort is an attempt to extend the 2017 tax cuts, a policy projected to add $4.6 trillion to the deficit, paid for by stripping away vital health coverage for millions.
Medicaid has been a lifeline for North Carolinians, with more than 2.7 million people depending on it for access to doctors, medication, and preventive care. The Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid brought coverage to an additional 499,000 adults in the state, driving down uninsured rates and improving health outcomes. Now, that progress is under threat. The proposed cuts include slashing federal funding, reducing matching rates for states, and imposing red tape in the form of work requirements. These measures would disproportionately impact low-income families, children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities—those who can least afford to lose coverage.
The fallout from such cuts would be immediate and severe. For families in North and Central Raleigh, the consequences are stark. Losing Medicaid coverage means losing access to routine checkups, cancer screenings, and treatments for chronic illnesses. It means making impossible choices between paying for groceries or a life-saving prescription. Without Medicaid’s safety net, the financial burden of healthcare would shift to individuals and families, driving many into debt and medical bankruptcy. Hospitals, particularly those in underserved areas, would struggle to manage the influx of uninsured patients needing emergency care, further straining an already overburdened system.
These proposed cuts are also a direct attack on North Carolina's progress under the ACA. Since its passage, the uninsured rate in the state has dropped by nearly 50%, offering families a level of stability and security they hadn’t seen before. Medicaid expansion didn’t just provide insurance; it gave people peace of mind, allowing them to focus on their jobs, children, and futures without the constant fear of what might happen if they got sick. Rolling back this progress would not only unravel these gains. Still, it would also jeopardize the state’s innovative programs like the Healthy Opportunities Pilots, which address social determinants of health and reduce healthcare costs.
The argument that these cuts are necessary to reduce federal spending is a smokescreen. The real motivation is to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. These tax cuts prioritize the interests of billionaires and corporations over working families who rely on Medicaid to stay healthy and productive. It’s a tradeoff that leaves North Carolinians to pay the price in terms of dollars and lives.
What’s especially disheartening is that these cuts come with a false narrative about employment. Most Medicaid enrollees already work, attend school, or care for family members. Imposing work requirements is not a solution; it’s a barrier designed to kick people off the rolls. These policies don’t create jobs or lift people out of poverty. Instead, they create more hoops to jump through, making it harder for people to access the care they need.
The ripple effects would be profound for small businesses in North Carolina. Many rely on Medicaid to ensure their employees and families can afford healthcare. Without ACA subsidies and Medicaid’s support, these businesses would face rising insurance costs, making it even harder to compete and grow. For the state’s economy, this means fewer jobs and less opportunity, particularly in sectors still struggling to recover from the pandemic or recovering from Hurricane Helene.
The risks aren’t abstract. These cuts threaten to undo years of progress, jeopardizing families' health and economic stability. When preventive care becomes a luxury and emergency rooms become the only option, costs don’t disappear—they skyrocket. And the people who will feel it most are those who can least afford it.
This isn’t just about healthcare policy; it’s about the kind of community we want to be. North Carolina’s families deserve better than being used as pawns in a political game. They deserve leaders who prioritize their health and future, not policies that cater to the wealthy at their expense. The proposed Medicaid cuts are more than a budgetary decision—they are moral
.