State lawmakers say agreement to expand Medicaid reached

RALEIGH, N.C. (WITN) - State lawmakers announced Thursday morning that they have reached an agreement on expanding Medicaid in North Carolina.

House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said there will be a bill filed soon in the General Assembly that “will move with all deliberate speed” to send it to Governor Roy Cooper.

Cooper, who has been advocating the expansion for several years, called it a “monumental step that will save lives.”

There is no timeline set for when people would be able to sign up, but Berger and Moore said they want to have the expansion coincide with the passage of the state’s new budget.

The plan would give health insurance to about 600,000 people in the state who are now not eligible for Medicaid.