Care4Carolina

The Client

Brasco’s Greg Behr, representing Care4Carolina, led a strategic public affairs campaign aimed at influencing the North Carolina General Assembly to expand Medicaid. Care4Carolina is a coalition of health, business, and community organizations advocating for the state’s Medicaid expansion. Behr’s role was to galvanize support by bringing together a diverse group of voices from various sectors and backgrounds, including healthcare professionals, patients, business owners, and community leaders, all of whom had a stake in Medicaid expansion.

The Goals

Brasco’s Greg Behr, representing Care4Carolina, led a strategic public affairs campaign aimed at influencing the North Carolina General Assembly to expand Medicaid.Care4Carolina is a coalition of health, business, and community organizations advocating for the state’s Medicaid expansion. Behr’s role was to galvanize support by bringing together a diverse group of voices from various sectors and backgrounds, including healthcare professionals, patients, business owners, and community leaders, all of whom had a stake in Medicaid expansion.

Behr’s campaign succeeded in creating one of the broadest and most inclusive coalitions in the state’s healthcare advocacy history. By engaging individuals from different walks of life—patients, healthcare providers, business owners, and community leaders—the campaign presented a multifaceted argument that resonated with legislators on both personal and economic levels. The coalition’s efforts culminated in the NC General Assembly’s decision to expand Medicaid, ensuring that over 600,000 additional residents would be eligible for affordable healthcare. This decision marked a significant victory

600,000+

Additional residents would be eligible for affordable healthcare.

Services

Public & Media Relations
Public Relations & Strategic Communications
Stakeholder Coordination
Strategic Communications

Roy Cooper — (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

Media Hits

The News & Observer
https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article255329936.html

The Associated Press
https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-medicaid-expansion-roy-cooper-legislature-f00242e5883bccf816a679a76584a5f9

Greg Behr of Brasco joined forces with an extraordinary team to tackle a seemingly insurmountable challenge: expanding Medicaid in North Carolina. With an entrenched General Assembly that had repeatedly opposed the idea, many believed it was an impossible mission. However, Greg, working alongside the tireless leaders at Care4Carolina, helped build a broad bipartisan coalition of former and current politicians, business leaders, faith leaders, patients, and families impacted by the “coverage gap.” Against all odds, the coalition achieved victory in 2023 when the NC General Assembly approved Medicaid expansion and Governor Roy Cooper signed it into law. This remarkable success has earned the Care4Carolina campaign recognition as a finalist for Public Affairs Campaign of the Year at Ragan Communications’ prestigious PR Daily Awards.

CASE STUDY