North Carolina Reinstates Rural Health Pilot with Reduced Scope

North Carolina's Healthy Opportunities Pilot, which uses Medicaid funds for non-medical health needs, will restart in January 2027 after an 18-month hiatus. The program will be scaled back, focusing primarily on grocery deliveries and limiting food assistance eligibility to food-insecure individuals who are pregnant or have diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A study indicated that nearly 80% of former participants faced increased difficulty obtaining food after the program's suspension.