North Carolina Medicaid expansion legislation falls through

As North Carolina's legislative session came to a close, a deal that included expanding Medicaid fell through, Axios Raleigh reported Aug. 15. 

North Carolina's House of Representatives and Senate had each passed one version of the legislation

Both the state's Democrats and Republicans told Axios Raleigh that the failure of negotiations was mainly due to the North Carolina Healthcare Association, which aimed to block the Senate's Medicaid plan because it would have loosened the state's certificate-of-need laws, which the association contended would hurt hospitals' revenues, according to the publication. 

"The House of Representatives has no intention of moving [the Senate's bill] nor an appetite for changes to the [Certificate of Need] law," Steve Lawler, president and CEO of the North Carolina Healthcare Association, said in a June letter to its members, according to Axios Raleigh. "Attempts to negotiate CON changes with the Senate are not only counterproductive to our messaging on our Medicaid priorities but undermine our support in the House."

State leaders and the association are still discussing Medicaid proposals and policies. 

North Carolina is one of 12 states that has not expanded its Medicaid program since 2014. 

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