US regulators OK North Carolina Medicaid carrot to hospitals to eliminate patient debt

Federal Medicaid regulators have signed off on a proposal by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper 's administration to offer scores of hospitals in the state a financial incentive to eliminate patients' medical debt and carry out policies that discourage future liabilities.Cooper’s office said Monday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services late last week approved the plan submitted by the state Department of Health and Human Services.Cooper and health department leaders have described the plan as a first-of-its-kind proposal in the country to give hospitals a new financial carrot to cancel debt they hold on low- and middle-income patients and to help residents avoid it. The effort also received praise Monday from Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee.Read more: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/us-regulators-north-carolina-medicaid-hospitals-patient-debt/275-adb885b2-9f5f-49e7-bd59-0a051daaae27Watch WCNC Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m.WCNC Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with news that impacts you from the team at WCNC Charlotte.  SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeartAll of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.