06/09/2025
A pioneering Medicaid program that has delivered food, housing support, and transportation to nearly 30,000 low-income North Carolinians is set to end July 1. The state Department of Health and Human Services issued a shutdown notice June 2, citing lack of funding in the proposed state budget.
The Healthy Opportunities Pilot, or HOP, was the first program in the country to use federal Medicaid dollars to pay for nonmedical services that support health. In Western North Carolina, where 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary participate, the program served as a key recovery tool following Hurricane Helene……
