Navigator programs received $98 million in federal funding. This month, that budget was slashed to $10 million.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — U.S. House Republicans narrowly passed a budget plan calling for $2 trillion in federal spending cuts. If approved by the Senate, it could include the largest cut to Medicaid in history.
On Wednesday, Jay Ludlam, the state’s Deputy Secretary of Medicaid, told lawmakers this could translate to $27 billion lost in North Carolina alone.
This would be the latest in federal funding cuts already impacting statewide healthcare resources, like the North Carolina Navigator Consortium, which helps people get connected with the right healthcare coverage for them.
Last year, programs like this received $98 million in federal funding. This month, that budget was slashed to $10 million.
“A 90% cut to navigator funding is devastating for our community,” said Cassidy Estes-Rogers. She’s the Interim Chief Operating Officer at Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, one of the Consortium’s partner organizations.
In a state that is already known for expensive healthcare, members of the Consortium say this cut will hit North Carolinians especially hard.
“Just in the last year, we helped over 100,000 North Carolinians with one-on-one assistance and questions to help them see what their options are and any issues they might have,” said Nick Riggs, Director of the NC Navigator Consortium. “There’s so many stories from folks all across the state who say that the assistance that we’ve provided literally save their life.”
With these cuts, they are having to pull back significantly from what they can offer. However, they’re already looking ahead to even more cuts that would impact healthcare here.
The House’s budget blueprint bill would cut $880 billion from the Energy and Commerce Committee, which is in charge of Medicare and Medicaid. It does not outline specific details about how to reach that spending goal, but experts worry that means Medicaid is on the chopping block.
Estes-Rogers says the timing is critical for North Carolina, as the state recently expanded Medicaid, enrolling 500,000 people in just the first year. In Charlotte alone, she says they were able to enroll 367 people through the Navigator program because of this.
“The misconception is that it won’t affect you,” Estes-Rogers said. “So many people who work in our healthcare industry will be affected by cuts to Medicaid. This will impact rural hospital’s ability to stay in business. This will affect healthcare providers being able to provide meaningful care and be reimbursed for services. It will lead to a rise in medical debt, and things that we have really been able to address through these programs.”
The House’s version of the budget also calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $100 billion in additional spending for the military and immigration enforcement.
