medicaid expansion

Republican mayor of Belhaven NC (near my hometown of Bath) joined forces with the NAACP to petition the governor to expand medicaid… and believe it or not, there are a lot of republicans here in the state who agree. I’ve said it a number of times but I’ll say it again; Governor Pat McCrory and the republican majority in the state legislature are killing off all future possibilities of them being elected as governor and giving democrats a better chance of regaining control. Art Pope’s money and influence isn’t going to be enough to save them if they continue to govern by extreme ideology in a state that was historically pretty moderate. They will soon come to the realization that refusing the medicaid expansion was a horrible idea with life or death consequences. Even if they change their minds (which of course will happen) and allow the expansion, the damage to their brand has already been done. ‪

WNCT

Article from NC Policy Watch: “You can’t close hospitals and let people die to prove a point.” So spoke the conservative Republican mayor of Belhaven, North Carolina, Adam O’Neal, this morning at a press conference at the state Legislative Building in Raleigh. O’Neal’s appearance (and his linking of hands with Rev. William Barber of the North Carolina NAACP) was the highlight of a powerful event at which advocates called on Gov. McCrory and legislative leaders to reverse course and admit that their ideologically-driven decision to refuse to expand the state’s Medicaid program under the terms of the Affordable Care Act is threatening the physical health of hundreds of thousands of North Carolinian’s and the financial health of dozens of hospitals — especially ones located in poorer, rural communities like Mayor O’Neal’s. O’Neal’s speech was an especially moving and courageous act by a man who claimed to disagree with Rev. Barber on most issues and who obviously placed any political ambitions he might harbor at risk by so publicly breaking with the leaders of his own party. But it was also obviously heartfelt and genuine — a fact that made it all the more powerful. – Read more of this story at: http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2014/06/04/republican-mayor-from-eastern-nc-issues-emotional-call-for-medicaid-expansion/#sthash.ylgwuppp.dpuf