Andrea Thoumi, a doctoral student in Duke’s Department of Population Health Sciences, served as guest editor for a 2025 special issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal focused on Medicaid policy.
The journal, along with Thoumi and co-editor Mark Holmes, PhD, invited experts statewide to explore how NC Medicaid expansion is reshaping care and communities — and the challenges that remain.
Topics include fiscal and workforce impacts, rural and urban effects, challenges for enrolling historically marginalized populations, post-COVID enrollment shifts, and effects on safety-net services and long-term care.
NC Medicaid is “at an important crossroads, ” Thoumi and Holmes write , noting progress made and work ahead to ensure that all communities benefit. They add, “ The collaborative and innovative spirit of North Carolina’s policymakers, health care providers, payers, residents, community leaders, and other stakeholders will help us put our best foot forward.”