House Bill 76, which seeks to expand North Carolina Medicaid, passed its third reading today, Representative Michael Wray’s office confirmed.

The house calendar shows the third reading passed by a 92-22 margin. It will go through committee and then to the Senate floor.

Entitled Access to Healthcare Options, it includes the expansion of Medicaid Healthcare Insurance to thousands of working poor residents across the state.  

The bill calls for participation in the Health Access and Stabilization Program, a federal program to assist providers with enhanced reimbursement rates for treating Medicaid patients.  

The HASP program will bring in an additional $1.8 billion in payments to North Carolina hospitals and doctors.

House Bill 76 will also include a workforce development component requiring Medicaid patients to interact with a workforce counselor to assist them with career planning and workforce training options so they can be prepared to enter the workforce and be productive, successful workers.