ABC11 spoke with Shannon Dingle, a mother of six currently enrolled in Medicaid. Dingle has two children with autism and one with cerebral palsy, and called the healthcare they currently receive a lifeline.
"Having Medicaid access is life or death for us as a family," she said.
If no deal is reached before Oct. 1, healthcare providers in North Carolina won't get the same reimbursements they're currently getting and could decide to stop caring for Medicaid patients. Federal tax credits from the Affordable Care Act that help provide coverage for millions are set to expire at the end of the year.
"Every law, every debate, every thing that is happening right now at our state and federal level will make the difference in what care my kids receive," Dingle said.
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ABC11 also spoke with Josh Dobson, the president and CEO of the North Carolina Healthcare Association. He said the layers of cuts happening simultaneously will exacerbate the effects on North Carolina's most vulnerable residents.
"You couple what happened with HR1 and the $32 billion in Medicaid cuts over a 10-year period starting in a few years, and then the cuts that are coming from the state health plan, in addition to these cuts. There's only so much that can be sustained," he said.
Dobson said the effects could entail layoffs and a halt in investments across the state in areas such as behavioral health.
"Some of those things are going to have to be put on hold. And people who need behavioral health services, people who need different types of care, could face the consequences of that," he said.
That has many North Carolinians like Dingle concerned and frustrated about what it might mean for their families in the long term.
"It is infuriating at times that people who are supposed to be representing us are instead making decisions about cuts that will be detrimental and disastrous for our family," she said.