North Carolina

via the North Carolina Dept. of Health & Human Services:

NC Medicaid Expansion Continues to Bring Health Care to More North Carolinians

PRESS RELEASE — As of Feb. 1, 2024, 346,408 newly eligible North Carolinians are enrolled in Medicaid and now have access to comprehensive health care, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Dashboard. NCDHHS released an updated the dashboard today, and it includes enrollment data as of Feb. 1, 2024. This number is more than half of the anticipated 600,000 people who are newly eligible for coverage, expected to enroll in Medicaid expansion over the next two years.

"In the first two months we have already enrolled over half of the eligible people," said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley. "These individuals and families are seeing providers, utilizing preventative and specialty care, and getting life-saving prescriptions."

It was just 53 days ago that North Carolina became the 40th state (plus DC & the U.S. territories) to fully expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. At the time, around 600,000 lower-income North Carolinians were estimated to be eligible for the public healthcare program.

So where do things stand now? Well, the NC government has posted a handy Medicaid enrollment dashboard which is tracking the data as once a month; the most recent update was on January 12th:

NC Medicaid Expansion Enrollment as of January 12th, 2024: 314,101

The dashboard has some nifty interactive tools letting. you filter enrollees out by plan, age bracket, gender, ethnicity, urban/rural status and county, along with enrollment trends.

Ah, at last, another state which includes both the average requested rate changes for 2024 as well as the number of enrollees each carrier has for both the individual and small group markets in clear, transparent language!

Generally, according to NC Insurance laws, health insurance rates must not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, and must exhibit a reasonable relationship to the benefits provided in the policy.

Notes:

Back in March, after years of failed and stalled attempts to get it passed, the North Carolina legislature finally pushed ACA Medicaid expansion over the line to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

As for when the program would actually go into effect, however...that's been something of a mystery for awhile now. Apparently the wording of the legislation ties it in with it being included in the general state budget, which wouldn't be voted on or approved for months. As a result, no one seemed to be sure when the healthcare expansion program for up to ~600,000 North Carolina residents will actually launch.

Back in July, the Health & Human Services Dept. took an optimistic stance, preparing for the possibility of the program kicking off starting on October 1st of this year. Unfortunately, that was based on the assumption that the GOP-controlled state legislature would actually pass the general budget required for it to happen by September 1st...which didn't happen.

Back in March, after years of failed and stalled attempts to get it passed, the North Carolina legislature finally pushed ACA Medicaid expansion over the line to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

As for when the program would actually go into effect, however...that's been something of a mystery for awhile now. Apparently the wording of the legislation ties it in with it being included in the general state budget, which hasn't happened yet. As a result, no one seems to be sure when the healthcare expansion program for up to ~600,000 North Carolina residents will actually launch.

Back in July, the Health & Human Services Dept. took an optimistic stance, preparing for the possibility of the program kicking off starting on October 1st of this year. Unfortunately, that was based on the assumption that the GOP-controlled state legislature would actually pass the general budget required for it to happen by September 1st.

It's now September 18th. Where do things stand?

Back in March, after years of failed and stalled attempts to get it passed, the North Carolina legislature finally pushed ACA Medicaid expansion over the line to be signed into law by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper.

As for when the program would actually go into effect, however...that's been something of a mystery for awhile now. Apparently the wording of the legislation ties it in with it being included in the general state budget, which hasn't happened yet. As a result, no one seems to be sure whether NC Medicaid expansion will kick off in October, November, December or January of next year.

However, the state's Health & Human Services Dept. has decided to take a proactive, optimistic stance:

State Takes Action To Start Medicaid Expansion Oct. 1; Launch depends on General Assembly acting by Sept. 1

A few weeks ago, I reported that both Nevada and Oklahoma had placed insolvent insurance carrier Friday Health Plans under receivership, leaving just two states left to do so (North Carolina and Colorado, which happens to also be the home to Friday's corporate headquarters).

It turned out that I was correct about Oklahoma, but had jumped the gun slightly re. Nevada; the insurance commissioner had petitioned the court to put Friday into receivership, but hadn't actually done so yet.

Well, it turns out my error re. Nevada has been rendered moot as of yesterday; via the Nevada Division of Insurance:

JUNE 21, 2023 - Court orders receivership for Friday Health Plans of Nevada

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 21, 2023

After the recent news about Friday Health Plans in Texas, Georgia, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada & Oklahoma, this isn't terribly surprising, but...

via the North Carolina Dept. of Insurance (email; no link yet):

Insurance Commissioner Causey places Friday Health Plans of North Carolina Inc. into receivership

RALEIGH – North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced today that Friday Health Plans of North Carolina Inc. (FHP-NC) has consented to being placed into receivership to protect North Carolina policyholders due to its reported insolvency and inability to raise additional funds from outside investors. 

The petition for receivership is expected to be filed with the Wake County Superior Court today and the receivership order will be posted on the North Carolina Department of Insurance website after the order is signed.   

Wow. It took less than 12 hours from this announcement by the COLORADO Dept. of Regulatory Agencies to be released...

Friday Health Plans, Inc. Winding Down Business

What Happened?

Friday Health Plans, Inc., the parent company of Friday Health Plan of Colorado, ,Inc. (HMO), has announced that it will begin to wind down its business activities throughout the country, working in close conjunction with state regulators, including the Colorado Division of Insurance.

In recent months, it became apparent that the parent company would need to raise substantial capital to continue. Friday was ultimately unable to raise that capital and on June 1, Friday Health Plans, Inc. (Parent) stated publicly that they would begin to wind down.

...to this press release from the NEVADA Division of Insurance:

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