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Sign as a Business Leader

As a North Carolina business leader, I endorse the following statement:

We, as North Carolina business leaders, understand that a strong economy and a thriving workforce require healthy families. Right now, too many hard-working families are uninsured. In fact, about two-thirds of all uninsured adults in North Carolina work. They are construction workers, farmers, child care providers, and even veterans. We urge the North Carolina General Assembly to achieve a bi-partisan solution to close the health insurance coverage gap. Now is the time to act. There are proposals on the table that would require no investment of state tax dollars and closing the gap would create an estimated 37,000 jobs and billions in economic activity. Much of this economic activity would benefit our rural communities and other areas most in need of an economic boost. Closing the health insurance coverage gap is a good deal for the health of North Carolina families and for our economy. We urge you to work together and achieve a policy solution that closes the health insurance coverage gap.

Business Leaders for Closing the Coverage Gap

By signing this statement you are granting permission to Care4Carolina to publicize your endorsement. Your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this public endorsement statement and will not be shared with any other entity. Personal contact information will not be shared in endorsement statements listings or ads. Employer affiliation will be used for identification purposes only. For example: “Mr./Ms./Mrs. John Doe, CEO, ABC Corporation*; Anytown, NC”.

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Sign as a Faith Community

Faith Leaders Addendum

As a North Carolina faith leader/ community of faith, I/we endorse the following statement:

We, as people of faith in North Carolina, believe that the Lord brings good news to the poor, binds up the broken-hearted, and comforts all those who mourn. We believe that when we work to ease the burdens of our neighbors who are struggling the most, we are caring for God. And, we believe we are called to follow our God by doing good, not only in the halls of our congregations, but by seeking justice in the wider world.

That means we cannot stand silent when presented with the opportunity to provide healthcare coverage for hundreds of thousands of our brothers and sisters. We understand that a community cannot flourish while its people lack access to affordable, quality healthcare. Healthy families are the bedrock of our communities of faith and of our local economies. Uninsured North Carolinians include members of our congregations, pastors, child care providers, farmers, construction workers, small business owners, neighbors, and friends. We urge the North Carolina General Assembly to work together across bi-partisan lines to close the health insurance coverage gap for all of these children of God.

Signing Disclosure

By signing this statement you are granting permission to Care4Carolina to publicize your endorsement. Your personal information will only be used for the purposes of this public endorsement statement and will not be shared with any other entity. Personal contact information will not be shared in endorsement statements, listings, or ads. Employer information will be used for identification purposes only. For example: “Rev. John Doe, Pastor, ABC Church, Anytown, NC.”

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Sign as a Grassroots Group

As legislation progresses to enact a North Carolina solution to close the health insurance coverage gap, it is critical that we have a grassroots team ready to mobilize. By signing up as a member of the Care4Carolina Grassroots Action Network, you agree to activate your group/organization when action is requested during the campaign. Action requests may include but are not limited to reaching out to legislators, sharing posts on social media, and relaying information to other contacts.

Your work as a grassroots group/organization is essential to our efforts, and Care4Carolina appreciates your support in ensuring that our mission is achieved. Together, we will find a North Carolina solution to close the health insurance coverage gap.

*By signing on as a member of the Care4Carolina Grassroots Action Network, your group/organization’s information will not be shared externally. The information collected through this form is for internal use only.

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Coverage Gap Profile: Against the Grain

July 31, 2019 by Erica Palmer Smith Leave a Comment

Holly Whitesides and Andy Bryant wanted to be farmers for different reasons.

“Andy kind of came to farming because he was interested in cooking and gardening,” Whitesides says. “I came to it from a food justice and environmental ethics perspective.”

The couple started farming together in 2010, drawn to the land from previous careers: she as a carpenter and he in nonprofits. “We knew we wanted to live in Western North Carolina,” Whitesides explains, “but we weren’t fortunate enough to inherit land.”

In 2012, they bought 18 acres in the Watauga County community of Zionville and started growing vegetables on it. “You can bootstrap it a little easier that way,” says Whitesides, who farmed full-time and introduced biodynamic practices in 2013. The farm, named Against the Grain, reflects the couple’s intentionality toward the earth. “We think about the farm as an organism and the farm being greater than the sum of all of its individual parts,” she says.

Along the way, they added livestock, land, and family members; their daughters Beatrice and Corva were born in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Bryant quit his nonprofit job and joined the family business full-time.

“We really try to think about our farm and our life in three categories,” Whitesides explains. “Parts of our business that offer financial wealth, parts of our business that offer social or community wealth, and parts of our business that offer biological or environmental wealth. When we make decisions about enterprises or markets, really anything, we try to keep those three things in mind.”

But it hasn’t always been easy.

The family has struggled to find affordable access to health care, especially in the farm’s early days. Whitesides was uninsured during her pregnancy with Beatrice, and they had to pay out-of-pocket for her medical expenses because they didn’t qualify for Medicaid nor could they find insurance on their own. “The system is just dysfunctional,” she says. “There are so many issues with health care in general. It’s a deep well. But this is a good place to start to close that coverage gap.”

Five years later, the family just finished paying off those medical bills. And they still get bounced around as they try to navigate their coverage each year. “It’s really bulky and cumbersome. We end up getting coverage, but we have a period of time where my kids aren’t covered,” she says. 

Closing the coverage gap in North Carolina, Whitesides says, would also help the farm’s five seasonal apprentices, who live on the property full-time and don’t qualify for insurance. 

“Fortunately, people who live on our farm eat really well, they’re really active, and they’re relatively healthy people,” she says. “But if issues arise, we do have people who aren’t covered.” 

Caring for those apprentices is personal for Whitesides.

“It’s not exactly an employee-employer relationship,” she explains. “It’s more of a team environment. Closing that coverage gap is only going to be beneficial. It’s going to provide them security.”

Category iconCoverage Gap Profiles Tag iconAgainst the Grain,  Farmers,  Rural

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