North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (D) formally initiated efforts to institute Medicaid expansion in the state by sending a letter to federal regulators informing them of his pursuit, reports WRAL.
The governor, who took office this month, made his pledge for Medicaid expansion last Wednesday at the Economic Forecast Forum in Durham, N.C., before filing the letter Friday.
North Carolina's GOP-dominated legislature asked CMS last Thursday to reject Gov. Cooper's request. In 2013, the state government approved legislature barring the executive branch from expanding Medicaid.
If Medicaid expansion takes place in the state — pending regulatory approval and the possible repeal of the ACA — more than 500,000 residents could be eligible for the program beginning in January 2018, according to the report.