What We Do
What Medicaid Does
NC Medicaid provides access to health care for more than three million North Carolinians.
Medicaid strengthens North Carolina.
NC Medicaid is an innovative, whole-person centered and well-coordinated system of care. It receives bipartisan support from the state legislature because it delivers for North Carolina taxpayers and helps keep North Carolinians healthy.
It provides affordable health coverage, access to doctors and prescriptions for more than 3 million children, older adults, people with disabilities, and working North Carolinians. The federal government covers most of the cost of Medicaid.
Medicaid provides affordable health coverage to 1 in 4 North Carolinians.
- 50% of all births in North Carolina are covered by Medicaid.
- Medicaid provides older adults and people with disabilities with essential health care. While they make up 21% of the people covered in NC by Medicaid, 54% of Medicaid expenditures are for older adults and people with disabilities.
- Veterans benefit. Many veterans and their families are ineligible for health care through the VA and through expansion can now get covered through Medicaid. Before expanding Medicaid, North Carolina had one of the highest rates of uninsured veterans in the nation.
of births in North Carolina are covered by Medicaid
Rural communities rely on Medicaid.
- At least half or more of the population is covered by Medicaid in Robeson (62%), Vance (59%), Edgecombe (58%), Richmond (55%), Scotland (53%), Swain (50%), and Bladen (50%) counties.
- Expanding Medicaid particularly benefited rural North Carolinians. While people living in rural communities make up 19% of our population, they are 36.7% of the Medicaid expansion population.
- Medicaid is a major source of funding for the state's rural hospitals, many of which are struggling financially. It decreases the costs hospitals assume for people who are unable to pay and ensures the financial stability of rural hospitals, helping them continue to serve their communities.
of Medicaid Expansion enrollees are rural residents
Medicaid supports North Carolina's businesses and workforce and brings billions of dollars into the state's economy.
- NC Medicaid contributes $30 billion to North Carolina's economy. 98% of Medicaid expenditures in North Carolina go to services and providers across the state.
- Most adults covered by Medicaid are employed. 92% are working, in school, disabled or serving as caregivers.
- When employees are uninsured, there is greater workplace absenteeism and lower worker productivity, resulting in increased employer costs.
- By expanding Medicaid, people working in industries critical to local economies across the state, such as child care, agriculture, food service, tourism, construction and retail now have affordable health care.
contributed to the NC economy
Medicaid makes people healthier.
- North Carolinians newly covered by Medicaid under expansion have filled more than 5 million prescriptions for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, seizures and other illnesses.
- While North Carolina is only one year into expansion, in states that expanded Medicaid earlier, more babies lived to their first birthday, fewer women died during pregnancy, enrollees experienced improved mental and physical health, fewer people had uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension, cancer was diagnosed earlier, access to cancer treatment improved and fewer people died from cardiovascular disease.
prescriptions filled
More North Carolinians can now get behavioral health and substance use treatment.
- Overdoses in North Carolina have decreased since Medicaid expansion. Visits to emergency departments for overdose decreased by 29% from 2023 to 2024, and suspected overdose deaths decreased by 27% during the same time period.
- There has been a 17% increase in behavioral health providers able to serve people covered by Medicaid since the launch of expansion.
decrease in overdoses
North Carolina is an excellent steward of Medicaid funds.
- Lawmakers wisely require robust safeguards against fraud, waste and abuse in Medicaid. Not only do the federal and state government have dedicated units for preventing, detecting, and prosecuting fraud against Medicaid, in North Carolina there’s another layer: Medicaid health plans are also required to have such units.
Kate was diagnosed with a paraganglioma tumor in her ear. It had been growing for years by the time it was found. The surgery to remove it was complex and required multiple procedures.
Because these tumors often recur, Kate will need to have ongoing monitoring for the rest of her life. Kate said:
Medicaid is covering my doctor visits, medications, and even transportation for follow-ups, which is a huge help since I can't drive right now.
— Kate (Buncombe County)
Rose, the mother of a son with mental health needs and monthly prescription costs of $1,200 said:
This is truly a blessing. It meant the world to sign up my son today.
— Rose (Mecklenburg County)
Rose told the person who helped her with her application that she felt such relief that this burden will no longer weigh on her family.