McCrory: Announcements on health care law coming

Gov. Pat McCrory says the state will have an announcement with regard to the federal Affordable Care Act next week.

Posted 11:12 p.m. Sep 18, 2013 — Updated 11:17 p.m. Sep 18, 2013

Mark Binker

RALEIGH, N.C. — Gov. Pat McCrory says the state will have an announcement with regard to the federal Affordable Care Act next week.

During a news conference with reporters Wednesday, McCrory was asked about the state's plans to reform the Medicaid health insurance system for the poor and disabled.

"The immediate thing is in October the implementation, the beginning of the roll out of what is referred to as 'Obamacare,'" McCrory said.

The state, he said, was still trying to determine what the impact of the new health insurance program on individuals and businesses, he said.

McCrory said that IBM, Duke Energy and "several other" businesses were changing their health insurance coverage in response to the law. McCrory was apparently responding to recent reports that companies like Time Warner and IBM would stop buying insurance for their retirees, opting instead to give their retirees a stipend to purchase health insurance.

"I actually predicted this last year after Obamacare was passed that you would start seeing people walk away from their own private insurance programs, and sadly, that prediction has come to fruition," he said.

The General Assembly, with McCrory's blessing, passed a law that prevents the state from expanding Medicaid coverage as was allowed by the law. The state has also opted not to participate in health exchanges aimed at helping individuals to buy insurance.

A group called Protect Your Care NC is due to hold a news conference Thursday critical of the McCrory administration of changes required by the Affordable Care Act.

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