Leaders of the North Carolina House and Senate have agreed on a Medicaid expansion plan, radio station WUNC reported March 2.
The two sides have been at odds over reducing certificate of need regulations, according to the report. The Senate had been pushing for the reduction, but the state's hospitals and House initially refused. The compromised plan calls for less dramatic reductions.
The compromise also calls for North Carolina to be added to the federal Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program, according to the report.
The Senate plans to modify a Medicaid expansion bill that previously passed the House in the coming weeks, according to the report. Expansion would not take effect until the state's budget is approved, which will likely happen in the summer.
The proposed plan would expand Medicaid to an estimated 600,000 people. North Carolina is one of 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA.
"While we know this is just one step in the process toward passage, it’s a step that is vital and moves us closer to the expanded, equitable and accessible care all North Carolinians need," a spokesperson for Winston-Salem-based Novant Health told the News & Observer.