In the midst of an ongoing pandemic there are about 600,000 North Carolinians who are more likely to suffer “catastrophic” medical bills because Republicans refuse to expand Medicaid to provide access to life saving health care. The new study released by Health Affairs, found that states like North Carolina where Republicans continue to obstruct access to health care, have a higher number of emergency surgeries that saddle unsuspecting patients with disastrous bills.   

The study found that 58 percent of patients received emergency medical bills that exceeded the median annual income for people in their area and many bills totaled as much as two to four times the median local income. Furthermore, if patients had access to health care and were able to receive preventative services many of the most common emergencies are often avoidable. 

“There are countless North Carolinians, from working mothers to those who lost their job due to COVID-19, who are begging Republicans to stop burying their heads in the sand and listen to their pleas to expand access to high-quality health care,” said NCDP spokesperson Rachel Stein. “Legislative Republicans are leaving millions in federal funds on the table and choosing to kick those costs to hardworking people. Expanding access to health care is the compassionate and common sense choice. It’s long overdue for Republicans to get out of the way.”