N.C. Commissioner Goodwin Seeking Apology Over Health Official’s Remark

North Carolina’s Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is publicly calling for an apology from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services Secretary over a remark in which the health official allegedly held Commissioner Goodwin responsible for the state’s rejection of Medicaid expansion.

According to press reports, when questioned by a local physician during a public forum on May 10 about the state’s decision to reject Medicaid expansion and its effects on the state’s uninsured population, Health and Human Services Secretary Aldona Wos allegedly stated: “…in North Carolina, based on our constitution, the issue of Medicaid expansion or not, actually, was the commissioner of insurance’s. Just so that you all know that and are aware of that.”

In response, Commissioner Goodwin issued a statement over the weekend. In a press release, Goodwin said “I am offended and truly disappointed that Secretary Wos decided to incorrectly accuse me of being the cause for the state’s rejection of Medicaid expansion.”

“Senate Bill 4 — the legislation that rejected the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina — was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law on March 6 by the Governor. That decision was not within my constitutional authority. I trust that the Secretary will swiftly issue a correction and apologize for her statement,” Goodwin said.

An apology may not be forthcoming, however. The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., quotes a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services as saying that it’s just a case of few comments being taken out of context. “The Secretary was talking broadly about the Insurance Commissioner’s oversight authority over the health care insurance industry in North Carolina, and it is unfortunate that her remarks were taken out of context,” according to the department spokesperson.

Topics North Carolina