Insights about health care challenges facing North Carolina--a report on Dr. Zachary's presentation
On July 30, Dr. Ciara Zachary from the North Carolina Justice Center shared insights into the current health care challenges facing the people of our state. She began by introducing us to the work of the Justice Center, a unique non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating poverty in our state. To achieve this goal, the Justice Center focuses on the following: Budget & Tax, Consumer & Housing, Education, Immigrants & Refugees, Workers Rights, and her area of Health. The Justice Center also sponsors the well-known NC Policy Watch, which shares reports and advocacy related to social justice issues in our state. To find out more about the NC Justice Center, visit http://www.ncjustice.org. And to stay informed about North Carolina policies related to social justice in this state, visit http://www.ncpolicywatch.com.
She then shared that in her department, they had originally planned to educate and lobby for the expansion of Medicaid in this state, an issue that would greatly ameliorate poverty and had potential for bipartisan support. Once the Congress began to pursue the elimination of the Affordable Care Act, however, her area lost grant funding and had to dedicate resources to protect Medicaid in particular, a program that existed prior to the Affordable Care Act but additional cuts were proposed to the program. She clarified for the group why the proposed switch to per capita funding of Medicaid would result in significant cuts: per capita funding means that everyone who qualifies for Medicaid would receive the exact same amount of money; however, the health care needs of each individual vary considerably. A baby with life-threatening conditions or some seniors in nursing homes may require very costly support in contrast to others who still enjoy good health and may not need unusual support.
Dr. Zachary shared numerous statistics about the impact of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina, and we will post some helpful links that she shared that can aid in educating ourselves on theses policies. She also suggested the following action steps:
1. Sign up for the alerts from the NC Justice Center. They send out alerts and keep members updated on actions that may affect our state.
2. Email state legislators. Medicaid is a shared state and federal responsibility, and state legislators need to know what this program means to their constituents.
3. Call your state legislators to urge their support for Medicaid and Medicaid expansion.
4. Write letters to the editor on these topics.
While there is still an open question about the future of the Affordable Care Act, Dr. Zachary still saw a path forward for the possibility of expanding Medicaid in North Carolina. North Carolina is suffering from the opioid crisis, which is both a social justice issue and an economic challenge as the workforce is undermined by addiction. For that reason, we will also include some links about the opioid crisis. For those readers who might be interested in advocating for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, you may wish to refer to this crisis as a talking point.