North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's administration has said the state's Medicaid expansion will take effect Oct. 1, but the Legislature has not approved the funding needed to launch the program, Politico reported July 26.
Funding for the expansion is linked to the passage of the state's 2023-24 budget, but lawmakers remained deadlocked and are on break until Aug. 7, according to the report.
The move — approved by the Biden administration — puts pressure on the Legislature to pass a budget or fund Medicaid expansion separately.
The decision gives lawmakers until Sept. 1 to fund the proposal. If they miss that deadline, expansion would be delayed until Dec. 1.
Medicaid expansion is expected to provide coverage to more than 600,000 North Carolina residents, according to the report.