WRAL Seeks Insight from Robert Shaw on N.C.’s Medicaid Expansion

WRAL featured Smith Anderson health care attorney Robert Shaw in the article “What is Medicaid expansion and who will it benefit?” that explores the reverberations across the state with expansion of North Carolina’s Medicaid Program.

"Lower income working families and lower wage workers in the coverage gap who make enough money to be above the federal poverty line, but whose jobs do not include healthcare benefits, would probably benefit the most," said Robert, whose robust health care regulatory practice includes advising clients on Medicare/Medicaid compliance. "The bills have also included provisions to expand access to services for mental health, substance use disorder, mentally, intellectually, and developmentally disabled persons."

The North Carolina legislature recently approved expanding the availability of Medicaid, and the largest group of people who will become eligible under expansion are those who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but do not receive health insurance coverage through work. Many workers with part-time positions would also be eligible for Medicaid benefits.

"According to general estimates and predictions, depending on how many would apply and are eligible, it looks like 500,000 more North Carolinians will be eligible for benefits, so it’s a pretty significant number of residents," Robert told WRAL.

Medicaid expansion will affect a significant number of people, caregivers among them, especially those eligible for Medicaid but who provide continuity of care for people who are not currently Medicaid eligible.

It would expand Medicaid benefits to many low-income parents with children at home, including thousands of parents of children with special needs and expand the number of disabled people who qualify for Medicaid coverage.

Robert has extensive experience in solving health care and tax challenges important to clients and has represented clients in transactional matters across the country, including public company hospitals, accountable care organizations, private equity firms, and regional and national health care providers. He regularly handles complex restructuring, M&A work on the buyer side and seller side, Medicare and Medicaid audits, value-based care projects, tax planning and controversy, hospital joint ventures, employment agreements, corporate advice and regulatory compliance.

A PDF of the full WRAL article can be viewed here.