Hundreds of thousands in North Carolina will be added to Medicaid rolls this week

To qualify for Medicaid under the new guidelines, a single person can make up to $20,120 annually in pretax income, while a household of four can make up to $41,400 for an adult to benefit. McBane, who lives alone and has gone nearly 18 years without health insurance, is now searching for a job that will allow her to take care of her health while staying within the income range that will keep her in the program. Many of her neighbors work fast food or construction jobs that don’t cover health care, and they face stress and stigma whenever they have to visit a doctor, she explained. Much of western North Carolina exists in the Medicaid coverage gap, “and its citizens are absolutely left behind,” McBane said. She expects expansion will not only ease the financial burden on her community, but make many low-income residents feel more welcome in exam rooms.