Medicaid expansion bill faces uncertain future as it advances to NC House

If approved, the bill would provide the state with a multibillion-dollar infusion of money from the federal government to pay 90% of the cost of health insurance for several hundred thousand people in North Carolina.

Posted 4:51 p.m. Jun 2, 2022 — Updated 6:41 p.m. Jun 2, 2022

Bryan Anderson

, WRAL state government reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — A bill to expand Medicaid in North Carolina received final approval from the state Senate on Thursday with near unanimous support and no debate. It will now move to the state House, where it faces an uncertain future.

The procedural vote passed 44-1, with one Republican opposing the measure.

Shortly before its initial passage on Wednesday, GOP Senate leader Phil Berger called on his Republican and Democratic colleagues to urge House members to back the bill.

NC Senate votes for Medicaid expansion, uphill battle looms in the House

House Bill 149 faces an uphill battle in the remaining month before this year’s legislative session is expected to come to an end. House Speaker Tim Moore on Thursday told reporters he's opposed to the bill in its current and that the measure doesn't have the votes to pass in his chamber. Medicaid expansion has long been a top policy priority for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. Consideration of the bill could be a major bargaining chip in ongoing negotiations over the state budget, though Moore said the bill is a better fit for consideration next year.

"A lot of conversations will be easier seven, eight months from now than they are right now," Moore said. "A lot of things aren't necessarily 'no,' they're just not [now]."

If passed by the House and signed by Cooper, the bill would provide the state with a multibillion-dollar infusion of money from the federal government to pay 90% of the cost of health insurance for several hundred thousand people in North Carolina, including many lower-income residents.

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