Gov. Cooper announces proposed plan to reduce medical debt

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — On Monday, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service Secretary Kody Kinsley announced a proposal that could eliminate up to $4 billion in medical debt for around 2 million people.

DHHS is requesting that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approve a set of conditions hospitals need to meet to be eligible for a large amount of Medicaid funds. That includes relieving existing medical debt dating back to Jan. 2014 and putting policies in place to keep debt from piling up on low and middle-income families. If a hospital doesn’t meet those conditions, they get the standard amount of money.

“By providing relief from medical debt, we give North Carolinians not just peace of mind, but truly a fresh start,” Kinsley said.

Secretary Kinsley tells CBS 17 the state is still waiting on approval from CMS. He also said people under any type of insurance could be covered under the proposal, not just Medicaid or Medicare patients.

Gov. Cooper says this move can help North Carolina financially.

“We must reduce medical debt to help North Carolinians and our economy thrive,” Cooper said.

NCDHHS has a webpage with more information about these new efforts. Click here to view that page.

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Joseph Holloway

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