RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina General Assembly is considering a Medicaid bill with unnecessary risks that could be life-threatening for North Carolinians. The bill creates a worst-case scenario for the implementation of the Medicaid cost-sharing and work requirements from the federal “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed in 2025.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is sounding the alarm that provisions of this fast-moving funding bill will have unintended consequences for patients and the state. The following is a statement from ACS CAN North Carolina Government Relations Director John Broome:
“ACS CAN calls on the General Assembly to understand how the barriers erected in the HB696 substitute bill would impact North Carolinians’ ability to be healthy. This bill creates unnecessary red tape for patients seeking cancer treatment as well as anyone needing access to screenings by adding extra layers of bureaucracy and increasing patient costs.
“As written, the bill will increase out-of-pocket costs significantly for North Carolinians with Medicaid health insurance. The bill disproportionately penalizes cancer patients by implementing the maximum allowable co-payment of $25 for each health care visit, including those where cancer patients and others with serious illness receive their lifesaving treatment. This bill puts lives at risk and will mean more cancer patients forced to forgo treatment, live sicker and die sooner.
“It also codifies the maximum ‘lookback period’ of three months for work requirement compliance, forcing a huge cost and burden on state government and patients. Requiring individuals who need health insurance to prove they were working three months before they even enroll in coverage erects a life-threatening barrier to care for no gain. The lookback period indicates the time a new enrollee or someone going through redetermination must demonstrate compliance with new work rules.
“Advancing any legislation now adds further bureaucracy and significant cost to a system already undergoing significant change, without understanding the real-world impact of the policies on cancer patients who need health insurance to access care.
“We urge North Carolina lawmakers to amend this bill to lessen the impact on working families and prevent unnecessary government red tape in our state. This bill is a matter of life or death for many individuals.”