MEDIA ADVISORY: Health advocates gather in Raleigh for press conference, call for Medicaid expansion

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rebecca Cerese, 919-824-0811

What: People’s Budget Coalition press conference to urge Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Phil Berger to stop playing politics with Medicaid expansion, because the only losers are the 600,000 North Carolinians stuck in the coverage gap.

Why: After historic momentum to expand Medicaid, efforts have slowed down to a trickle because of what appears to be a blame game between the two chambers and the N.C. Healthcare Association.

Who: Kathy Greggs with Fayetteville PACT, a police reform organization, will speak on how expanding Medicaid can reduce incarceration and support returning citizens. Perri Morgan, a Physician Assistant with 25 years of clinical experience, and Dreama Caldwell, co-director of Down Home NC, will speak on the urgency of expanding Medicaid. A service provider who works with veterans in Fayetteville will also speak on the importance of expanding Medicaid for military communities.

“What are we supposed to tell patients who can’t afford healthcare?” Perri Morgan asked. “That the House Speaker, the Senate leader and the hospital association weren’t able to come to an agreement so there’s no lifesaving health coverage for you today. Maybe we’ll have better luck next month on a compromise.”

“The health of North Carolinians should not be a political football in a showdown between the Senate and the House,” Dreama Caldwell said. “In this game there is no winner, but the losers are the people of North Carolina who cannot wait any longer for healthcare.”

When: Tuesday, August 23 at 10 a.m.

Where: In front of the NC General Assembly or livestream on NC Justice Center’s Facebook page.

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