NC Republicans announce Medicaid expansion The vote is not planned until later this month. Until then anything can happen. On Thursday, however, Tar Heel State Republicans in firm control of the state legislature announced a deal for Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. North Carolina would be the 40th state to expand Medicaid after a decade of Republican resistance. The Washington Post reports: The deal marks a stark turnaround for Republican leaders that played out over years in North Carolina and in states across the country, as more and more governors and legislatures expanded Medicaid to low-income residents. When that stopped working years ago, advocates put the measures on the ballot in seven conservative-leaning states, and voters approved expansion in every one. Associated Press: “This is something that we can all be very proud of,” House Speaker Tim Moore said at a Legislative Building news conference with Senate leader Phil Berger. “What a huge announcement this is for North Carolina. What a huge policy direction this is that will provide help for so many in this state, but it’s going to do it in a way that’s fiscally responsible.” Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, will of course sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. Passage would extend Medicaid coverage to 600,000 of the state’s poor citizens. That’s huge. Stopping the closing of even more rural hospitals is a relief (although little consolation to the dead). “Since 2005, 11 North Carolina rural hospitals have closed or been converted to some…