(The Center Square) – An estimated nearly 1 million North Carolinians accessing insurance coverage are being impacted by the ongoing battle for expanded coverage in the Affordable Care Act.
The 2010 Obama era law was centered in the shutdown of the federal government in October and November. On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives moved forward legislation 230-196 against the wishes of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that has the potential to bring senators closer to resolution.
Health care is pivotal in American homes. The U.S. Census Bureau, in the latest numbers available released in September, said North Carolina’s poverty rate of 12.8% for 2023 was unchanged from the year prior. That means more than 1.3 million have income of less than $31,200 for a family of four, 17th highest of all states and the District of Columbia.
For the 2026 Affordable Care Act’s individual policies, third-term Republican state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey in October approved rate increases between 16.88% and 36.4%, with an average of 28.6%.
“Increased costs in health care as well as the expiration of federal subsidies result in premiums going up for many on the individual market,” Causey said.
His recommendation was to research early before open enrollment started in November, use job-based coverage if able, choose a private insurer, or enroll in a student health plan if able.
As U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told it in November during the shutdown, taxpayers have been on the hook for more than $400 billion through expanded subsidies under an emergency or temporary basis tied to the Affordable Care Act. Benchmark premiums, he said, are up 75% since 2019.
“These were temporary measures put in by Democrats through the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act during COVID to supposedly help people get more health insurance,” Murphy said.
More than three years ago, on Aug. 15, 2022, then-Gov. Roy Cooper ended the state of emergency for COVID-19 in the state. Illinois, on May 11 the following year, was the last of the 11 states that still had one ongoing when North Carolina ceased.
The measure passed in the House on Thursday would give another three year extension. The national deficit would increase, the Congressional Budget Office says, by $80.6 billion over the decade.
“The enrollment of individuals that filed no claims during this entire period has shown us that anywhere from 6 to 12 million individuals are on these plans fraudulently,” Murphy said. “They haven’t enrolled. They haven’t made any claims whatsoever, and so basically, the checks are going from the federal government – your taxpayer dollars – are doing directly from the federal government to insurance companies and for their profit margin. That’s a huge number.”
And that’s a big reason in the upper chamber, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said any plan to be approved would have income limits enabling those who need help most get it and beneficiaries would pay at least a nominal amount.
In that way, Thune said “insurance companies can’t game the system and auto-enroll people.”
Thursday’s voting in the House from North Carolinians was not surprising.
Democratic Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams were in favor, as was every other Democrat in the chamber. Republican Reps. Virginia Foxx, Addison McDowell, David Rouzer, Rev. Mark Harris, Richard Hudson, Pat Harrigan, Chuck Edwards, Brad Knott and Tim Moore were against. Murphy did not vote and 17 members of the party from other states crossed the aisle.
The bill without support of Republican leadership in the chamber cleared a procedural hurdle Wednesday with nine Republicans joining Democrats. None were from North Carolina and Murphy did not vote in the 221-215 decision.
