Rep. Richard Hudson has spent over a decade working to strip health care protections from his own constituents. He voted repeatedly to repeal the Affordable Care Act, personally inserted a provision into a GOP bill to block Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, voted for a bill that would have allowed insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions more while claiming it preserved protections, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act's prescription drug cost savings for seniors, and backed a reconciliation package that CBO projects will cause millions to lose Medicaid coverage. Meanwhile, he was the top pharmaceutical PAC recipient in Congress in the 2020 cycle, collecting $240,600 from the industry whose profits he protects. When constituents tried to confront him about health care, he told fellow Republicans to stop holding in-person town halls altogether.
Hudson Voted to Repeal the Affordable Care Act and Defund Planned Parenthood. According to a press release from Hudson's office, Hudson voted for the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act (H.R. 3762), "a bill to repeal key parts of Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood for a year while redirecting those savings to community health centers." [Hudson.house.gov, 10/23/15]
Hudson Voted to Override President Obama's Veto of Obamacare Repeal. According to a press release from Hudson's office, Hudson voted to override the president's veto of legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act, stating that the vote "sends a clear message that Congressional Republicans will fight to free the American people from the burdens of Obamacare." [Hudson.house.gov, 2/2/16]
Hudson Voted for the American Health Care Act, Which Would Have Stripped Coverage From Millions. According to GovTrack, Hudson voted "Yea" on H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act of 2017, which passed 217-213 on May 4, 2017. The bill would have repealed major provisions of the ACA, rolled back Medicaid expansion, and allowed states to waive protections for people with pre-existing conditions. [GovTrack, 5/4/17]
Hudson Claimed 'No One Will Be Denied Coverage Because of Pre-Existing Conditions' Under a Bill That Allowed States to Waive Those Protections. According to Hudson's Twitter account, he stated on the day of the AHCA vote: "Under AHCA, no one will be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions — period." However, the bill included the MacArthur Amendment, which allowed states to obtain waivers from ACA requirements including the prohibition on charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions. [Twitter/@RepRichHudson, 5/4/17]
Hudson Inserted a Provision Into the GOP Health Care Bill to Block Medicaid Expansion in North Carolina. According to Roll Call, Hudson inserted a provision into the American Health Care Act that would have prevented North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper from expanding Medicaid. Hudson told CQ/Roll Call, "I did get something for North Carolina. We got a provision that says we can't expand Medicaid." [Roll Call, 3/22/17]
Hudson Was the Top Pharmaceutical PAC Recipient in Congress in the 2020 Cycle, Accepting $275,980. According to OpenSecrets, Hudson was the number-one recipient of pharmaceutical manufacturing PAC contributions in the 2019-2020 election cycle, collecting $275,980 in official committee gifts from the industry. [OpenSecrets, Viewed 2/16/26]
Hudson Voted Against the Inflation Reduction Act, Which Capped Insulin Costs and Allowed Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices. According to Fox 8, all eight North Carolina Republicans in the House, including Hudson, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which passed 220-207. The law caps prescription drug costs for people on Medicare at $2,000 per year and allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time. [Fox 8, 8/12/22]
Hudson Voted for the Energy and Commerce Reconciliation Package That Cut $715 Billion From Federal Health Care Spending. According to Hudson's own statement, he was "proud to join my Republican colleagues in passing the Energy and Commerce Committee's part of President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill," which he claimed "strengthens Medicaid by ending fraud and stopping handouts to illegal immigrants." The CBO estimated the bill's Medicaid work requirement provisions alone would cause approximately 5 million adults to lose coverage, reducing federal spending by $326 billion over ten years. [Hudson.house.gov, 5/14/25]
Hudson Told Fellow Republicans to Stop Holding In-Person Town Halls as Constituents Demanded Answers on Health Care and Spending Cuts. According to The Assembly, NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson "instructed fellow Republican members of Congress to stop holding town halls," advising them to "avoid the spectacle of booing and jeering and instead opt for tele-town halls or Facebook lives." [Assembly NC, 3/25/25]
More Than 600,000 North Carolinians Gained Health Coverage Through the Medicaid Expansion Hudson Tried to Block. According to NC DHHS, 4.15 million prescriptions were filled in the first year of expansion for conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and seizures, along with $62.2 million in dental services claims. Over 217,000 rural community members — representing one-third of newly eligible enrollees — gained coverage. [NC DHHS, 12/16/24]
North Carolina's Rural Hospitals Had Been Struggling Before Medicaid Expansion Provided Relief That Hudson Opposed. According to The Assembly NC, Medicaid reimbursement challenges posed a crisis for rural North Carolina hospitals. Twelve rural hospitals in North Carolina either shut down or stopped providing inpatient care from 2005 to 2023, a period during which the state lacked Medicaid expansion — an outcome Hudson actively worked to perpetuate. [Assembly NC, Viewed 2/16/26]