Communities across the state continue to experience the impacts of Medicaid expansion as the state surpasses 450,000 North Carolinians who have signed up and more than one million prescriptions covered. The milestone means three-fourths of those eligible for expansion have now gained coverage.

"In the five months since expansion launched, more than 450,000 North Carolinians gained coverage to access health care providers, prescriptions and other services," said Governor Roy Cooper in a press release. “This is life saving and life changing health care that will help more North Carolinians stay healthy, provide for their families and enjoy a promising future.”

Since Dec. 1, 2023, Medicaid has covered more than 1,000,000 prescriptions for new enrollees for things like heart health, diabetes, seizures and other illnesses and covered more than $17.9 million in claims for dental services. Additionally, more than $347.5 million in reimbursements has gone directly to providers in North Carolina. Rural North Carolina counties are seeing higher percentages of enrollments. More than 12 percent of the adult populations in Edgecombe, Robeson and Swain now have health coverage through Medicaid.

"From the day we launched Medicaid expansion, we’ve been committed to getting people covered and getting them care as fast as possible," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley in a press release. "We are doing that even faster than expected and ensuring North Carolinians receive the health information, support and care they need to help them stay healthy.”

Many people who now qualify for North Carolina Medicaid under expansion work in child care centers, grocery stores, nursing homes, clothing stores, restaurants and other industries who may not have comprehensive health insurance through their jobs. People who did not qualify for Medicaid in the past may now be eligible, including those who are single or do not have children. More than one in three new enrollees are between 19 and 29 years old and live in rural communities.

The Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Dashboard is now updated to show further trends in enrollment. While the dashboard was updated Wednesday, the data analytics are as of May 3, so the latest number is not reflected. The number of enrollees as of Thursday, May 9, 2024, is 451,194.

Those who have not yet applied should visit Medicaid.nc.gov to see if they are eligible. Individuals can also connect with state and local support teams to better understand their health care coverage options, complete Medicaid applications and navigate enrollment.