On July 4, 2025, Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” or H.R.1, into law. The funding cuts and policy changes embedded in this sweeping legislation could reshape healthcare access across Western North Carolina. WNC HPI sat down with Katie Alexander and Ali Houghton from Pisgah Legal Services to discuss this controversial piece of federal legislation and gain insight into what it could mean for healthcare access in WNC.

On April 29th, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2025 to the US Congress. This legislation would provide comprehensive Medicare coverage to every American with no premiums, no co-payments and no deductibles, and would expand Medicare to include dental, hearing, and vision care. Estimates indicate that a Medicare for All system could save $650 billion and 68,000 lives every year.

Dec. 1, 2024 marks the first anniversary of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, which has expanded affordable health care coverage to nearly 600,000 North Carolinians. Learn how NC Medicaid expansion has impacted access to health care in your county, and join us in celebrating this landmark health policy milestone in NC.