Greg Murphy, Representative of North Carolina, said that only those eligible for Medicaid should receive benefits and taxpayers should not fund healthcare for ineligible individuals. The statement was made on X.
“Citizens who are not Veterans are not eligible for VA Healthcare,” said Gregory Francis Murphy, U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 3rd congressional District (R). “Neither should individuals who are not eligible for Medicaid receive Medicaid benefits. If they are not eligible, the taxpayers should not be paying for their healthcare.”
Debates over Medicaid eligibility rules have intensified as new GOP-backed legislation, such as the “Jobs and Opportunities for Medicaid Act,” pushes for stricter work and verification requirements. Critics argue these measures could lead to large-scale disenrollments of vulnerable Americans, according to the Congressional Research Service and congressional summaries.
According to Medicaid.gov and analysis by the Paragon Health Institute, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) covered about 78.6 million Americans as of March 2025. Estimates suggest up to 4.9 million enrollees may be ineligible, costing federal and state governments roughly $23.8 billion annually and raising persistent concerns about eligibility oversight.
States differ widely in their eligibility verification procedures: some use real-time income checks and frequent renewals, while others employ automated federal databases. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that during the post-pandemic Medicaid unwinding phase, up to 14 million Americans lost coverage due to tightened enforcement, highlighting the impact of stricter policies.
Wikipedia notes that Murphy is a Republican U.S. Representative from North Carolina’s 3rd District, a physician by background, and serves on the House Ways & Means and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. He advocates for targeted Medicaid reforms that balance program integrity with continued care for the needy.
