Gov. Josh Stein signs $319M Medicaid funding bill in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Governor Josh Stein signed a bill Thursday securing Medicaid funding after months of back-and-forth in the General Assembly.

House Bill 696 will provide $319 million to help cover rising health care costs and increased enrollment in the Medicaid program. State health officials say the funding is needed to keep the program running through the end of June.

On Wednesday, the state House approved the measure.

In addition to new funding, the bill includes several policy changes. Those changes include shifting Medicaid eligibility checks from quarterly to monthly, tightening documentation requirements, and requiring verification of citizenship and immigration status.

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The legislation also adds language that would require some Medicaid recipients to work or participate in community service in order to maintain coverage.

Some Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about provisions they say could disproportionately affect immigrants, as well as women and children. Republican backers of the bill dispute those claims.

Medicaid currently provides health coverage to more than one in four North Carolinians, according to state officials.