State health officials say federal regulators have given their final approval for North Carolina to begin offering Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults on Dec. 1.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told the state in a letter that changes to North Carolina’s Medicaid program to provide expanded coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act had been approved.
An estimated 600,000 adults age 19-64 who earn too much for traditional Medicaid but too little for subsidized private insurance are expected to benefit in North Carolina.
The state Department of Health and Human Services said about half of that total should be enrolled immediately.
