medicaid expansion

May 11, 2023 - Ben Barber interviewed UNC law professor and anti-poverty scholar Gene Nichol about his new book, “Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America,” which offers insights from North Carolina politics aimed at countering the nationwide assault on democratic norms and values.

June 9, 2022 - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has blamed unaddressed mental health problems for the mass shooting of 19 schoolchildren and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde. So why isn't he pressing to expand Medicaid in his state and others to give more people access to care? Meanwhile, mental health advocates say they worry about politicians' rhetoric linking mental illness and mass shootings.

April 22, 2022 - The recently released "Poor People's Pandemic Report" details how counties with larger percentages of poor people — the vast majority of which are in the South — have been more likely to experience higher death rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

April 7, 2022 - To address the region's shockingly high rate of pregnancy-related deaths, a growing number of Southern states are expanding their Medicaid programs or launching Medicaid pilot initiatives to cover the services of doulas — nonclinical professionals who provide holistic support during all stages of pregnancy.   

January 28, 2022 - Rural hospitals were able to survive 2021 with special pandemic assistance, but some aid is set to expire by the end of this year. Advocates say state Medicaid expansion could help rural hospitals confront the worsening staffing crisis and provide much-needed care in their communities.

July 1, 2021 - Over 2 million adults — including over half a million essential workers — fall into the Medicaid coverage gap in states that have refused to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act, and most are people of color living in the South. Congressional Democrats from Georgia and Texas recently unveiled plans to work around GOP-controlled legislatures' refusal to authorize broader Medicaid coverage even when facing a deadly pandemic.

May 20, 2021 - This Mental Health Awareness month, consider the psychological toll of the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly for those who were already facing racism and other extreme stressors. Most Southern states' refusal to expand Medicaid makes getting care more difficult for those who need it most.