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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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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: Wehrloom Honey

October 30, 2019 by Holly Gallagher Leave a Comment

Earlier this decade, Aron Wehr realized he could be putting the beehives on his family’s property in Robbinsville—a collection that started as a gift of a couple hives for his wife, Jessica—to work. Little did the Wehrs know that they would create such a buzz.

“I don’t know we started the business thinking it would ever be this big or this popular,” Aron says. “It was just we sort of needed jobs, and in a rural county like Graham, that’s sort of hard to come by.” 

They founded their company, Wehrloom Honey, in 2013 and immediately found success selling local honey at farmer’s markets and to tourists. Today, with about 200 hives, millions of bees, and a retail store full of products from honey to skincare products to mead, the Wehrs’ business is thriving.

“Part of it is getting lucky,” Aron says. “It was sort of a logical step forward to get more bees and make more honey because we can sell it.”

Inside the quaint shop, glass jars of amber liquid are arranged neatly on shelves over here. Bars of soap, bottles of lotion, and other skincare products—Jessica’s creations—are set up there.

“We’re not just a honey business,” Aron says. “We wanted to have more on the shelf than honey. We had products that we’d make for ourselves or for our kids and found that people really loved them.” 

A few years ago, the Wehrs expanded into mead, the honey-based wine, with catchy names such as Dry County Dry, Pretty in Peach, and Black-“Bear”ry.

The expanded line of products has helped Wehrloom grow; the company now has four full-time employees beyond Aron and Jessica. But despite that growth, the Wehrs are unable to provide affordable health insurance to their workers because of North Carolina’s coverage gap.

“We love our employees, we think they’re great, and I’d do anything for them,” Aron says. “But one thing I can’t do is offer them health insurance. It’s not that I can’t offer it, but it’s not affordable for them. It’s not even in the realm of possibility. There’s no way they could afford the health insurance I can offer them.”

Aron says closing the coverage gap would provide a boost to entrepreneurs across the state. “It would make me far more competitive and make it easier for me to find more people to employ if health care coverage was something I was able to offer.”

The Wehrs hope to continue to grow their business—their pre-teen daughters help run the cash register and bottle honey—but they know the battle for (nonfamily) help is intense in rural counties without the ability to offer affordable health insurance. 

“It makes it hard for a small business to compete,” he says. “(People) could go work up the road at the casino and get health care coverage for nothing. But that’s a huge company with thousands of thousands of employees.

“I think it puts me at a huge disadvantage.” 

Category iconCoverage Gap Profiles Tag iconCoverage Gap,  Farmers,  honey,  Rural

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