To the Editor:

Medicaid is our country’s single largest source of healthcare coverage, providing crucial healthcare access to more than 72 million low-income Americans, including children, seniors, veterans, those living in rural areas and people with disabilities. In North Carolina alone, the program is a lifeline for nearly 2.7 million residents.

As Mooresville’s former mayor, I know how impactful Medicaid is for our state’s most vulnerable populations. That’s why I am seriously concerned about the potentially staggering cuts to Medicaid that the U.S. House of Representatives’ budget blueprint seems to imply. Any cuts to the program would especially devastate North Carolina’s rural communities, which account for nearly 40 percent of our total population.

More than 1.2 million rural North Carolinians rely on Medicaid, including almost 30 percent of all children in rural areas. These hard-working families already face heightened challenges in accessing the healthcare they need, such as struggling local healthcare facilities, provider shortages and transportation barriers. Cuts to Medicaid would only exacerbate these issues, as the program serves as a major source of funding for rural hospitals. Many of these institutions could face no choice but to shut down operations, leaving our rural population out to dry — and not just Medicaid patients.

I urge North Carolina’s congressional delegation to carefully consider the lasting impact any reduction in funding for Medicaid would have in our home state. With such incredible leadership from Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, I am hopeful to see our lawmakers stand with rural North Carolinians and protect Medicaid to protect our most vulnerable residents.

Bill Thunberg
Mooresville