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THE DAILY SCREAMER

HEALTHCARE

KNOTT VOTED TO SLASH MEDICAID, KILL ACA SUBSIDIES — THEN POCKETED $84K FROM HEALTH INDUSTRY

A Charlotte couple's health insurance could jump from $7,225 to $31,446 a year. Brad Knott couldn't be reached for comment.
By Staff Reporter • March 8, 2026

Rep. Brad Knott (NC-13) has collected over $84,000 from health care and insurance industry PACs. What did those donors get in return? A congressman who has voted against health care access for his constituents at nearly every turn.

THE MEDICAID MASSACRE

Knott voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut $1 trillion from Medicaid over ten years. The bill imposed work requirements that could strip coverage from nearly 500,000 North Carolinians in the expansion population.

North Carolina’s Medicaid director said the combination of work requirements and lower provider tax caps will likely undo the state’s Medicaid expansion — which NC lawmakers only approved in 2023.

Governor Josh Stein estimated 520,000 North Carolinians could lose health insurance under the bill and warned it could force five NC hospitals to close.

When constituents pressed Knott at a town hall about rural hospital closures, he offered this: the Medicaid provisions “won’t take effect for two years, giving lawmakers time to address any problems.”

ACA PREMIUMS EXPLODE — KNOTT GOES SILENT

Knott also voted against extending ACA subsidies. NC Health News reported he was one of several representatives who “none responded to requests for comments on their votes.”

The result:

Real people, real consequences:

THE PHARMA PAYDAY

While NC families scrambled to afford coverage, Knott was cashing checks from the industry:

NO COMMENT, NO POSITION, NO PROBLEM

NC Health News could not find a single public statement from Knott on Medicare, Medicaid, rural hospital funding, or prescription drug costs. His campaign “received no response” to multiple contact attempts.

Meanwhile, some North Carolina Medicaid providers stopped accepting patients as rate cuts of 3-10% took effect in October 2025.

Brad Knott took the money. His constituents are taking the consequences.