Credentialed media are invited to a symposium highlighting the life-saving impact Medicaid expansion and the Healthy Opportunities Pilots are having on the health and well-being of North Carolinians on Friday, May 30 at 9 a.m. at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina will present new research about the programs, including rural health outcomes, economic impact and services people are receiving.
Since Medicaid expansion began in 2023, more than 650,000 newly eligible North Carolinians have gained access to affordable health care through Medicaid expansion, including veterans and workers in child care, construction, hospitality, home health care and other industries essential to the state. Including those covered through Medicaid expansion, NC Medicaid provides affordable health coverage to more than 1 in 4 North Carolinians: more than 3 million children, older adults, people living with disabilities and other working adults.
Additionally, the innovative first of its kind Healthy Opportunities Pilots in North Carolina have been described as a "life changer" for thousands of North Carolina families. Healthy Opportunities addresses people’s social needs with services like food, housing, transportation and assistance related to interpersonal violence and toxic stress. The program proves the best way to lower health care costs and create healthier communities is to reduce the need for medical care in the first place. Additionally, the state is seeing $1,020 in annual health care costs savings per Healthy Opportunities enrollee, and stronger local economies that are supported by local businesses from family farms to home repair.
The event will bring together community leaders, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers to explore the evolving landscape of Medicaid in North Carolina.
What: Medicaid Expansion and Healthy Opportunities Pilots Symposium
Who: Dr. Dev Sangvai, Secretary, NCDHHS
Jay Ludlam, Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid, NCDHHS Jim Burgin, NC State Senator, R-District 12
Sarah Crawford, NC State Representative, D-District 66
Mark Holmes, PhD, Director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC
Seth Berkowitz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, UNC
Sandra Greene, PhD, Professor, Health Policy and Management, UNC
Marisa Domino, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Health Information and Research, ASU
Valerie Lewis, PhD, Professor of Health Policy and Management, UNC
Nancy Messonnier, MD, Dean of Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC
Christopher Shea, PhD, Professor, Health Policy and Management, UNC
When: Friday, May 30
9 a.m. - noon
Opening Remarks from 9 - 9:30 a.m.
Presentations from 9:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Audience and Media Q&A from 11:30 - 11:45 a.m.
NC Legislators Reflection from 11:45 a.m. - noon
Closing Remarks at noon
Where: NC Museum of Natural Sciences: Nature Research Center
121 W Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Media: Credentialed media are invited. Please RSVP to news@dhhs.nc.gov if you are planning to attend.