Government officials said they will promptly address North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's (D) proposed Medicaid expansion plan, The News & Observer reports.
Gov. Cooper officially initiated efforts to expand North Carolina's Medicaid program under the ACA by sending a letter to federal regulators last Friday notifying them of his intentions.
HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said Monday the government "will process the governor's proposal as expeditiously as possible when we get it," according to the report.
North Carolina Republican Reps. Robert Pittenger and Richard Hudson sent a letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt asking the governor's request be rejected on grounds that his actions are illegal. In 2013, the state government approved legislation barring the executive branch from expanding Medicaid without state lawmakers' backing.
Gov. Cooper's efforts come as Republican legislators begin attempts to repeal the ACA.