Vigils called for Medicaid expansion in NC

ASHEVILLE, NC (WSPA) – Three cities in western North Carolina held vigils calling for Medicaid expansion.

“Honoring the lives of those who have suffered and calling on change,” said Brenda Murphree of Indivisible Asheville/WNC which helped host the event.

North Carolina and South Carolina are among 14 states that opted to not expand Medicaid with federal dollars from the Affordable Care Act.

“This is my son Michael,” said Leslie Boyd, holding his picture. “He died on april 1st 2008 because a birth defects is a preexisting condition. Healthcare is never a handout. Never. It is a basic human right.”