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 Misled Constituents On Pre-Existing Conditions, Claiming 'No One Will Be Denied Coverage' 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]
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]