The Medical Crisis that Finally Convinced Republicans in North Carolina to Expand Medicaid

After years of resistance, Republicans in North Carolina have embraced Medicaid expansion for new mothers. They’re not done.

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — The early days of Courtney Smith’s pregnancy were dark.

She bled for six weeks, a common but frightening experience during the first trimester of pregnancy. Doctors in Louisiana, where Smith was living at the time, made matters worse by suggesting she might miscarry. After diagnosing her with hypertension, diabetes and depression, the doctors “threw pills at me,” Smith says. Medicaid paid for her care, but the care was poor: Her Prozac dose was too high, her blood pressure medication was too low, and they gave her medication to control her diabetes without giving her a way to...