Legislative History

The Carolina Cares for Children proposal was presented to members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Health Committee. There they found champions in Representative Verla Insko (D), the co-chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, where the debate over funding the program played out, and Representative Bob England (D), the Vice Chairman of the House Health Committee. As a result of their support, the proposal was drafted into legislation and was introduced in the House and included in the House budget proposal.

On another front, Governor Easley (D) included in his budget a program called North Carolina (NC) Kids’ Care to address the growing number of children without health insurance in families with incomes between 200 and 300 percent of the FPL. Although he did not incorporate the House’s legislative language into his initiative, the funding for NC Kids’ Care mirrored the dollars that the House had included in its budget to implement Carolina Cares for Children. The Senate did not include any funding or legislative language to expand coverage for children.

During negotiations among Governor Easley and the House and Senate (both with Democratic majorities), an agreement was reached to create NC Kids’ Care. Included in the final budget, the agreed upon language did not include many specific policy details but instead authorized the Division of Medical Assistance (the state agency responsible for Medicaid and Health Choice) to develop and implement a health insurance program for children in families with incomes at 201 percent up to 300 percent of the FPL. The funding for NC Kids’ Care in the final budget, $21 million state and federal, mirrored the amount identified in the Carolina Cares for Children proposal.