With Medicaid set to expand across North Carolina, 小黄鸭视频 County leaders are wasting no time preparing to serve approximately 60,000 residents and their families who could soon be eligible for health coverage for the first time.
Pending passage of the state budget, 小黄鸭视频 County could see the largest wave of Medicaid applications of any county in the state. 小黄鸭视频 County Health and Human Services staff process the applications, but at current staff levels, they would not be able to support the expected surge of applicants. That鈥檚 why 小黄鸭视频 County Commissioners unanimously approved funding on Monday for 74 additional full-time Medicaid positions.
鈥淭he bi-partisan passage of Medicaid expansion was groundbreaking and means thousands of working adults, their families, veterans and those struggling with mental health issues will have access to the health benefits they deserve,鈥 said Shinica Thomas, chair of the 小黄鸭视频 County Board of Commissioners. 鈥淎s the most populated county in the state, we need to be able to meet that demand, and these new positions will ensure we鈥檙e doing all we can to reduce the red tape and approval wait times.鈥
Medicaid is a federal health insurance program administered in part by the state but processed at the local level by counties. The expansion bill passed in March opened coverage to adults who previously made too much money to qualify, but not enough to qualify for federal subsidies to buy health insurance on their own. Legislators agreed to help those families who fell into this 鈥渃overage gap鈥 by increasing Medicaid eligibility to those who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level, which would be about $41,000 for a family of four.
小黄鸭视频 County鈥檚 Economic Services Medicaid Team would work with these new applicants to determine their eligibility. Right now, the team has 112 full-time staff members and only three vacancies. Currently, they process anywhere between 4,300 and 7,800 applications every month.
Staff estimate that more than 100,000 applications might be submitted under the new expanded program in 小黄鸭视频 County alone. Historically, however, as many as 50% may be deemed ineligible. Regardless, every application is reviewed and takes the same time to process. Anyone who believes they could be eligible are strongly encouraged to apply, as there is no application fee and it could mean thousands of dollars in health benefits. 小黄鸭视频 County estimates that, over a two-year period, Medicaid鈥檚 expansion will add approximately 4,167 more applications per month, on top of applications already being processed each month.
In addition to new applicants, there are already over 200,000 residents enrolled in Medicaid, and 小黄鸭视频 County staff must review their applications annually. The newly approved staff positions will help ensure that each beneficiary, whether existing or new, is served in a timely manner.
The new positions funded today include:
- 60 case workers
- Six supervisors
- Eight support staff
The average wage for these new positions will range between $19 鈥 $31 an hour. Most of the positions will work a hybrid schedule after completing required in-person training.
It鈥檚 anticipated the cost of the position would be about $5 million with funding coming from N.C. Department of Health and Human Services鈥 reimbursable revenues at $3.3 million with a County match of $1.3 million, as well as a one-time lump sum from NCDHHS of $436,122 designated to assist with Medicaid expansion.
Hiring is expected to begin later this summer, and all information about the positions will be posted on wake.gov/careers.
The board鈥檚 actions today support its community health and vitality goal of supporting a higher quality of life for vulnerable residents and communities.
