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12 1 2 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 3 4 Commissioner McKee asked if there is an effort being made to make thisa national 5 holiday. 6 James Williams said yes,but it will take additional steps by local entities to push this 7 forward to the next level. 8 Commissioner McKeeasked if the Board could receive updates regarding this topic. 9 Commissioner Price said the Fredrick Douglas Committee is planning events for next 10 year for the bicentennial celebration. 11 12 d.Resolution of Support for a Referendum on the Expansion of Medicaid in North 13 Carolina 14 The Board consideredvoting to approve a Resolution of Support for a Referendum on 15 the Expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina. 16 Commissioner Rich reviewed the background information. 17 18 BACKGROUND: 19 At its November 20, 2017 regular meeting, the Board heard a petition requesting that the Board 20 consider a resolution supporting a statewide referendum on the expansion of Medicaid. The 21 State of Maine recently conducted a referendum on this topic. The attached draft resolution 22 recommends the following referendum question -“Shall the State of North Carolina expand 23 Medicaid to provide healthcare coverage for qualified adults under age 65 with incomes at or 24 below 138% of the federal poverty level?” The table below details income figures based on the 25 138% federal poverty level (FPL) referenced in the proposed referendum question. 26 27 Commissioner Rich read the resolution: 28 29 RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR A REFERENDUM ON THE EXPANSION OF MEDICAID IN 30 NORTH CAROLINA 31 32 WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of the Affordable Care Act and rulings by the United States 33 Supreme Court the states may elect to expand Medicaid coverage to provide healthcare 34 coverage to low income residents in a coverage gap who don’t otherwise qualify for Affordable 35 Care Act subsidies or traditional Medicaid; and 36 37 WHEREAS, to date, North Carolina has declined to join the majority of states in expanding 38 Medicaid eligibility for low income residents; and 39 40 WHEREAS, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief authored by Rachel Garfield 41 and Anthony Damico more than 200,000 low income North Carolinians, as of 2016, who are in 42 the coverage gap and cannot obtain healthcare would be eligible for coverage if Medicaid were 43 expanded in the state; and 44 45 WHEREAS, the majority of those North Carolinians in the coverage gap consist of people from 46 working poor families meaning “either they or a family member is employed but still living below 47 the poverty line;” and 48 49 WHEREAS, it isincumbent upon the North Carolina General Assembly ensure adequate 50 access to healthcare exists for all North Carolinians, not just those who can afford to pay for it;