Chapel Hill Town Council votes in support of NC Medicaid

It was a hot topic in Raleigh, but it was a simple decision for the Chapel Hill Town Council.

Medicaid expansion in North Carolina could extend insurance coverage to more than 500,000 residents and save the state approximately $65 million in 10 years, but it is one of several states not accepting federal funding to expand Medicaid at this time.

The Chapel Hill Town Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday urging the North Carolina General Assembly and the governor to change their minds.

The resolution did not elicit much discussion from members of the Chapel Hill Town Council. Following the council’s acceptance of the resolution, it will be presented to Orange County’s delegates in the General Assembly.

The Durham City Council and the Orange County Board of Commissioners also passed similar resolutions.

“The obvious logic behind it is that people who are poor are lazy,” said Bill Murray, a representative of Health Care for All of North Carolina and a Chapel Hill businessman. “If you give them more money, they’ll be lazier.

“But the money does not go directly to the poor,” Murray said. “It goes to medical providers — doctors, nurses, secretaries, clerks. The poor are not getting lazier. They’re getting healthier and more able to go to work.”

Bert Gurganus, another member of Healthcare for All of North Carolina, said many people do not consider healthcare costs beyond paying premiums and deductibles.

But Gurganus said going to the doctor requires missing valuable work hours — a luxury some cannot afford.

“The folks who fall into this category for Medicaid and for the expansion of the service in North Carolina don’t have the option of missing work like many of us do when we have a sick day,” Gurganus said.

North Carolina has yet to accept funding, which could cost North Carolina employers between $65 million and $98 million in fees, according to estimates by the tax firm Jackson Hewitt.

Council member Maria Palmer said she supports the Medicaid resolution.

“Personally, I’m offended that our representatives in Raleigh think so little of the health of the voters they serve,” she said.

city@dailytarheel.com