NC Medicaid, Medicare partner faces 90% budget cut

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A North Carolina Medicaid and Medicare partner is facing a massive federal funding cut. Now the program is working out how to continue coverage. 

The North Carolina Navigator Consortium faces a funding cut of more than 90%, dropping its total budget from $98 million to $10 million.  

Since 2023, the program has helped more than 100,000 NC residents navigate Medicaid and Medicare eligibility and enrollment, along with other coverage options through Healthcare.gov. 

The cut comes as Republicans in Congress are consider reducing Medicaid funding by as much as $880 billion.  

Program Director Nicholas Riggs said the cuts could leave thousands without help navigating the healthcare system. 

“The system is complex, and a lot of people need a safe knowledgeable person to really guide them through the process and help them through the speed bumps along the way and their health access journey,” he said. 

The NC Department of Health and Human Services is also concerned. 

“They have been an incredible partner for us. Especially as we’ve done Medicaid expansion,” Deputy Medicaid Director Melanie Bush said. 

According to Bush, roughly 1 in 4 North Carolinians rely on Medicaid for healthcare.  

With less help from the Navigator Consortium, Bush worries that a reduction in services could put more strain on county caseworkers. 

“Slows down the speed of redetermination, slows down the speed of application approvals or denials and so it will eventually create some sort of backlog,” Bush explained. 

Riggs noted this isn’t the first time the program has seen a funding cut. During the first Trump Administration, federal funding was cut by more than 80%. The program recovered some of that funding through state foundations. Though this time around, the future remains uncertain.  

“We’re trying to do everything that we can and leave no stone unturned to make sure that our communities are still getting the support they need,” Riggs said. 

The Navigator Consortium will run out of its current funding at the end of this grant year in August.