Last Updated on October 16, 2023 3:11 pm
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received final federal approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services so North Carolina can launch Medicaid Expansion on Dec. 1, 2023.
CMS’s approval of the North Carolina State Plan Amendment is a required step forward in implementing expansion and getting more than 600,000 people in North Carolina health care coverage. See the approval letter here. NCDHHS began the federal authorities process in August and has been working closely with federal partners as timing has adjusted so we could be ready to go as soon as possible
“North Carolina is working hard to prepare for Medicaid expansion to start Dec. 1, and this is an important step,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Expanding Medicaid is a monumental achievement that will improve the health and lives of hundreds of thousands of people while helping our health care providers and our economy.”
“We are grateful to our federal partners for their close partnership and this final approval enabling hundreds of thousands of people the health care coverage they have been waiting for,” said NCDHHS Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. “North Carolina is now well on our way to launch Medicaid expansion, and on Dec. 1, about 300,000 people will automatically be enrolled in full coverage.”
When a state makes a change to its Medicaid program, states send state plan amendments to CMS for review and approval. It gives an assurance a state meets federal rules in order to use federal funds. This state plan amendment will allow North Carolina to provide Medicaid coverage to people eligible for the expansion.
For more information about the expanded eligibility for NC Medicaid, NCDHHS launched a new website with a toolkit of resources for organizations to spread the word to their communities.
To receive NC Medicaid updates, an alert when the application process goes live and other timely resources, complete the NC Medicaid sign-up form online.
