Cooper focuses health care costs during ENC campaign stop

Democratic senatorial candidate Roy Cooper said more work is needed to help families with health care coverage during a recent campaign stop in Greenville. Cooper brought his “Make Stuff Cost Less,” tour to Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church on Thursday meeting with about 60 supporters. “There’s so many people here in North Carolina just looking up at the middle class thinking, is the American dream dead? Am I never going to get there?” Cooper said. “People in the middle class (are saying) we’re just barely hanging on and for so many North Carolina families, they’re just too much month left at the end of the money.” Thursday event was Cooper’s second Greenville stop in recent months. He campaigned against tariffs and how they were driving up prices during a March stop at Starlight Farms outside of Greenville. His chief opponent, former Republican Party boss Michael Whatley, also has come Greenville but did not publicize the visit. As his second term as governor neared, a bipartisan effort led to the adoption of Medicaid expansion in 2023 after years of failed efforts. The result was more than 725,000 people across the state, including more 15,000 Pitt County, gained health insurance, Cooper said. During his last year as governor, Cooper worked with 99 North Carolina hospitals to create a medical debt relief program that wiped out $6.5 billion in debt for more that 2.5 million North Carolinians. About 65,000 people had civil judgements against them because of medical debt. Those judgements can prevent people from obtaining credit, a mortgage or prevent people from qualifying for rental property, he said. Clearing those judgements improves lives. Right now, North Carolinians and people nationwide are experiencing setbacks in health care affordability, he said. The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, tax and spending legislation that was signed into law in 2025, is cutting Medicaid funding, Cooper said. However, it doesn’t go into effect until after this year’s election. Congress also did not renew subsidies that helped families pay for their own health insurance premiums, which raised costs and forced some to give up their health care. The ones who kept their insurance pay higher premiums for less coverage and more out-of-pocket, he said. Republican senate candidate Michael Whatley supports policies that removed subsidies that made health insurance more affordable, Cooper said.. “We’ve shown what you can do when you push hard and you can do it in a bipartisan way to get more people covered with health care,” Cooper said. “I want to go to Washington to try to protect that but also to provide more health care access to people across North Carolina.” The Republican Party takes a different view to Cooper’s record on health care and other issues, accusing him of increasing costs when he was governor and a supporter of former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. “Roy Cooper drove health care costs to the highest in the nation, cheered on Kamala Harris’ reckless spending, and wants to tax North Carolinians’ tips, overtime, and Social Security,” said GOP spokesman Nick Puglia. Cooper’s visit came one day after the Pitt County Board of Elections voted 3-2 on an early voting plan for the Nov. 3 mid-term elections. The board was divided over opening polls on Sunday. The board’s three Republican representatives approved a plan without Sunday voting. Other election boards in the state have had a spate of controversies with some leaders saying state officials were directing where polling places should go. The state legislature also is voting on new elections rules that would shorten the early voting period, increase how much money a donor can give before they have to be identified and make other changes that have drawn opposition. “When you pass laws and take actions that restrict people’s opportunity to vote, that’s wrong on multiple levels,” Cooper said. “We should be encouraging participation in our democracy while still making sure that elections are safe and secure. They should not be trying to interfere in these decisions that are being made by local boards of elections who know the county and know where these polling places ought to be.” Cooper said he came to Greenville to hear what people want from him when he’s elected to the Senate and to rally their support. “There are going to be a lot of lies from a lot of groups and opposition that are going to come into this state,” Cooper said. “We have to make sure that we can set the record straight and let people know what we are doing to do.” Cooper said the people he talked with included a recent college graduate who is struggling to afford his rent and other living expenses on an entry level salary. A woman at Thursday’s gathering said her child care costs almost equal her salary so she isn’t sure if she should continue her career. Her story is why, Cooper said, he supports a child care tax credit which should improve affordability. Cooper also discussed the announcement that an initial agreement has been reached to end the war in Iran. “This war in Iran was unnecessary and very costly to the American people,” he said. “We lost 13 people. It cost at least $100 billion and people already were suffering from high prices with groceries and utilities and rent.” Cooper said he didn’t see where any of the strategic objectives that were stated have been accomplished. “We’re essentially, maybe, where we were before the ward,” Cooper said. “We need our leaders to think about what happens to the people at home.”