Healthcare Becomes One of the First Major Issues of the NC Senatorial Campaign
Candidate Roy Cooper is making healthcare one of the major issues of his campaign. Source: Roll Call
On June 29th, North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis decided to step down from the Senate, marking the beginning of a closely contested race. The Democratic candidate is former Governor Roy Cooper, while former NC RNC (Republican National Committee) Chair Mike Whatley represents the Republican Party. During the race, concerned North Carolinians who rely on services like Medicaid and Medicare have also been paying close attention to the recent federal government shutdown. Due to the concern over Medicaid cuts being considered in the shutdown negotiations, healthcare has become a major issue in the North Carolina Senate campaign.
The recent government shutdown has forced both Whatley and Cooper to explain to voters how they would address healthcare if elected to the Senate. One of the main issues holding up negotiations between the two parties in Congress is the issue of preserving healthcare subsidies established in the Affordable Care Act. Republicans are advocating for a cut to healthcare subsidies, claiming that undocumented immigrants receive full healthcare without paying taxes. This claim is not true, as these migrants only have very limited access to Medicare. As potential members of the Senate who play a major role in deciding the federal budget, both Whatley and Cooper must demonstrate to voters how they would address the issue of healthcare cuts. The recent government shutdown proves that this is an issue that lawmakers are currently discussing and considering revisions to. Both of the candidates’ campaigns have consisted of their views on healthcare subsidies and what they plan to do if they were ever to face a similar situation in the Senate.
Republican candidate Mike Whatley has made his position on healthcare very clear. He has openly endorsed proposals made by Republicans in Congress to cut healthcare subsidies. In the past, Whatley supported various proposals made by the Trump administration that looked to cut taxes for Americans. His past support for tax cuts has made Whatley eager to focus his campaign on the current debate of healthcare cuts, since cutting federal healthcare spending can potentially lower taxes. This serves to make healthcare an important issue to North Carolinians who are concerned about high living costs, as the proposed cuts have the potential to lower the tax burden on these voters.
On the other side of the aisle, Democratic candidate Roy Cooper has strongly argued against medicaid cuts that would require North Carolinians to pay for healthcare themselves. Cooper has argued that since the cost of living has risen over the past year, requiring voters to pay for healthcare themselves would be another burden. In a recent roundtable discussion on healthcare, Cooper pointed out that many rural North Carolinians depend on healthcare. Cooper has previously stated that his priority for the campaign is the middle class. As governor and attorney general, Cooper often won in areas with Republican voters, demonstrating his appeal had more to do with his popularity with middle-class voters than with partisan preferences. This focus on the middle class has led to Cooper’s focus on healthcare, since most middle-class North Carolinians depend on it.
Programs like Medicaid are important to rural North Carolinians. 39% of medicare beneficiaries in the state reside in rural areas. Many people in North Carolina rely on Medicaid not only for healthcare but for employment as well. Cuts proposed by Republicans are projected to put around 35,000 healthcare-related jobs at risk, as rural hospitals would be forced to shut down, as they rely on Medicaid funding to operate. This makes voters themselves eager to hear what each of the candidates is proposing in terms of healthcare, as they have a large stake in the issue. Both Whatley and Cooper have realized this, explaining why each has been very vocal about the issue so far.
The government shutdown in Washington has set the tone for the NC Senate Race. Both candidates are vigorously trying to reach voters as significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid are being proposed. In the coming weeks, North Carolina voters will see if healthcare will continue to be an issue or if a deal made in Washington will shift focus away from healthcare and into other topics. a