Statement on NC Governor’s Call to Cancel Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Reductions from Alexandra Sirota, Executive Director of NC Budget & Tax Center

Millions of North Carolinians rely on Medicaid so their children can see a doctor, aging parents can get care in their homes and community, and families are supported to achieve the well-being we all deserve.

Funding this care should be automatic — not tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations.

Today’s restoration of Medicaid reimbursement to health care providers offers temporary relief, but let’s be clear: This is not a solution. The dollars used to fill the hole will exhaust the funding available for the program by spring without a budget. North Carolina will be right back where we started — with the health and well-being of 3.1 million people at risk.

Meanwhile, key legislative budget writers will have allowed more than $1 billion in automatic tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest households to move forward — while the care people rely on was left unfunded. That choice says everything about priorities.

The General Assembly must return to Raleigh, pause the tax cuts, and pass a responsible budget that protects families and communities. North Carolinians deserve leaders who put their health first — not giveaways to the rich.