A word from Dr. Garry Crites, NAMI NC Executive Director
For years, NAMI North Carolina has been a firm advocate of Medicaid expansion. Our contention has been that this should not be a partisan issue; it is a compassion issue. Hundreds of thousands of people in our state make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for healthcare subsidies to secure coverage under the Affordable Care Act. This means that an untold number of citizens are not receiving critical mental health care.
The federal government has provided funds for the Medicaid expansion which would provide coverage to 500,000 more North Carolinians, and has even agreed to cover a larger percentage of the cost. Nonetheless, at this point, North Carolina remains one of only 12 states to reject this much-needed and readily available funding. But we have a small window of opportunity for this to change.
According to North Carolina Health News, leaders in several western counties have now come on board supporting Medicaid expansion, and some leaders in the state legislature are thawing to the idea.
Now is the time for you to contact your legislators and tell them that you stand with NAMI North Carolina for the expansion of Medicaid and provision of vital services to the most vulnerable among us.
For more information on Medicaid expansion, see Public Policy Director Ashish George’s blog on the NAMI North Carolina website.
