Local Matters: What potential Medicaid cuts could mean for North Carolinians, rural hospitals

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — As the U.S Senate debates the House version of the budget, there are a number of sticking points within the GOP on the Senate side.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act received no Democratic votes in the House. Among the main sticking points for some holdouts is the expected impact the budget could have on health care, particularly Medicaid.
It was just a little more than two years ago that Medicaid expanded in North Carolina. It allowed access for around 600,000 additional people.
CBS 17's Russ Bowen sat down with Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat who represents Wake County, to talk about her concerns.
Below is an excerpt from the attached on-air interview segment.
Rep. Deborah Ross: 'Kicking people off of Medicaid is going to have dire consequences, particularly when we just got people onto Medicaid with the expansion. But the other thing that this bill does that I don't think enough people are talking about, is it takes away some of the subsidies for the health care marketplace. So, there's another 5,000 people who now will not be able to afford health insurance and may not be Medicaid eligible who have been paying for their health insurance through the marketplace. They just have gotten some subsidies because they don't earn a lot, but they are people who are working.'
'The bottom line is this; any system has some waste, fraud and abuse. There's a recent article that came out that said that maybe 3% could be avoided here. But the number of people who would be kicked off of their health insurance, that has ripple effects not just for them and their families, but it means they won't be able to pay their bills.'
'We did a Medicaid round table a few months ago and we brought the Rural Center in. And the Rural Center said if Medicaid goes away in these rural areas, particularly the expansion that we've had, up to seven rural hospitals could immediately close their doors. Those are not my statistics. Those are the statistics we got from the Rural Center.'
North Carolina among 9 states that could halt Medicaid expansion if Trump cuts funding
CBS 17 is working to schedule an in-person interview with Republican Rep. Brad Knott.
Rep. Knott also represents part of Wake County, as well as a number of other counties in the region. He shared the following statement with CBS 17 on the federal budget.
Rep. Brad Knott: 'The House delivered a once-in-a-generation opportunity with the passage of 'The One Big Beautiful Bill.' Without this becoming law, we would see trillions of dollars in tax increases for Americans – which would affect every person in my district and across North Carolina. The House further moved to protect and preserve Medicaid for those who truly need it and remove costly handouts for illegal immigrants and able-bodied young men. The bill also makes the largest border security investment in history to protect our communities. And perhaps most importantly, the bill begins to get our fiscal house in order with $1.5 trillion in cuts. I look forward to the Senate's quick consideration of this bill so we can get it to President Trump for his signature.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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