Agenda - 01-23-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 1 A motion was made by Commissioner Price, seconded by Commissioner Pelissier to 2 approve the acceptance by Orange County of a conservation easement to protect portions of 3 the Bliss-Dobyns property and authorize the Chair and the Clerk to sign, subject to final review 4 by staff and the County Attorney. 5 6 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 7 8 Commissioner Pelissier asked that the Board write a letter of thanks to this family on 9 behalf of the Board of County Commissioners. 10 11 b. Resolution Urging the Governor and General Assembly to Expand Medicaid 12 The Board considered adoption of a Resolution urging the North Carolina General 13 Assembly and Governor McCrory to reconsider its decision not to expand Medicaid coverage 14 under the Affordable Care Act to provide coverage for poor and low-income adults. 15 Commissioner Rich said several counties have adopted a similar resolution. She 16 worked with Colleen Bridger, Director of Health Department, to create the resolution. She said 17 the numbers do not lie; 13 percent of Orange County residents are uninsured. 18 Colleen Bridger said if the situation stays as is and N.C. does not expand Medicaid there 19 will be 7500 people in Orange County who will not be able to get healthcare through subsidies 20 in the exchange program. She said expansion of Medicaid would provide these 7500 people 21 with access to insurance. She said without this expansion these people are stuck in the 22 Medicaid hole. 23 Chair Jacobs thanked Colleen Bridger and Commissioner Rich for their work on this 24 resolution. 25 26 RES-2013-095 27 28 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 29 30 Resolution Urging the North Carolina General Assembly and Governor McCrory to 31 reconsider their decision not to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care 32 Act to provide coverage for poor and low-income adults 33 34 WHEREAS, an estimated 13 percent of Orange County residents (approximately 18,000 35 people) are uninsured; and 36 37 WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the "ACA") expands health 38 insurance coverage for poor and low-income adults by raising the threshold for Medicaid 39 eligibility to 138 percent of the poverty line ($26,951 for a family of three); and 40 41 WHEREAS, the federal government would pay almost the entire cost of expansion —93 percent 42 over the first nine years (2014-2022) according to estimates prepared by the bipartisan 43 Congressional Budget Office; and 44 45 WHEREAS, the expansion of Medicaid would provide health insurance coverage to nearly 46 500,000 low-income residents of North Carolina and would save the State of North Carolina and 47 the counties and municipalities therein substantial sums on uncompensated medical care for 48 the uninsured; and 49 50 WHEREAS, the expansion of Medicaid would bring billions in federal funds to the State and