Current, Former Republican Candidates for NC Third Congressional District Spar Over ‘Carolina Cares’

NC-03 – One of the contenders in the Third Congressional District special primary election to be held next month seems to be drawing attention for all of the wrong reasons. Dr. Greg Murphy, currently serving in the N.C. House, has been busy on the campaign trail for the NC-03 special primary, trying to keep up with the exceedingly formidable competition.

Along the way the doctor has been touting his Carolina Cares proposal as a conservative response to Democrat calls for Medicaid expansion. But one former Republican primary candidate for the same seat Rep. Murphy seeks is not too thrilled with the way this Big Government health insurance program is being sold to voters.

Former Craven County Commissioner and 2016 Republican primary challenger Scott Dacey saw much of the NC-03 2019 Special Primary field at the Craven County GOP convention, and as you can see above he noticed one in particular. Here is the full post:

“On Saturday, I attended the Craven County GOP convention and listened to remarks from a number of very good candidates who are running for Congress. However, one candidate stood out to me – and not in a good way. As soon as Dr. Murphy started to defend his Carolina Cares bill, the arguments seemed all too familiar. Familiar, because they are identical to those used by President Obama in 2009 when he was working to pass the Affordable Care Act

In fact, Murphy’s defense is similar because his bill is similar:

• Those benefitting from the Carolina Cares bill meet the exact definition provided in the ACA for Medicaid expansion – anyone below 133 percent of the federal poverty line who does not currently qualify for Medicaid.

• The funds to pay for the program would largely come from the federal government’s Medicaid expansion dollars, which covers 90% of the costs for new beneficiaries, just as provided for in the ACA.

• The balance would be paid for by hospitals, as suggested by Gov. Roy Cooper, with his Medicaid expansion bill.

• The legislation requires that the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) get approval for the program through a 1115 waiver, exactly as prescribed under the ACA.

• Sponsors of the legislation have stated that as many as 500,000 “extra” beneficiaries would benefit from this program.

The truly sad part is that at the exact same time President Trump and Republicans in Congress were working to repeal the Affordable Care Act in early 2017, Representative Greg Murphy and a small handful of his Republican colleagues in the NC General Assembly introduced the Carolina Cares bill, undercutting President Trump’s efforts in Washington, DC. Now congressional candidate Murphy wants us to believe his bill is not Medicaid expansion and he supports President Trump. Unfortunately, his actions as an elected official show different. Those truly concerned with our liberty don’t need to take my word for it, just look to the Civitas Institute. https://www.nccivitas.org/…/nc-legislators-reject-medicaid…/

Perhaps those referring to the good doctor as “Medicaid Murphy” are on to something because this is not the kind of guy President Trump needs in Washington. 
Source: https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2017/h%20662

Well, the posting didn’t go unnoticed by one Dr. Greg Murphy, whop clapped back, only to be quite the mic drop retort from Dacey:


As Murphy attempts to quell the resistance to Carolina Cares, unfortunately for him it’s not the only battle front the primary contender has to defend against. He’s also under the spotlight as head of the House Healthcare Committee that will decide if a bill to handcuff Republican Treasurer Dale Folwell’s efforts to reform the State Health Plan is allowed to proceed.

The flak could be a consequence of what some consider his pole position in the NC-03 special primary race; or, it could be a consequence of not quite living up to his oft advertised conservative credentials.

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