• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Care4Carolina

Care4Carolina

Expanding access. Enhancing prosperity.

  • About
    • Overview
    • Member Organizations
    • Steering Committee
    • Business Advisory Council
    • Business Leader & Business Owner Supporters
    • Civic Leaders
    • Faith Community & Leaders
  • Updates
  • Meetings & Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Submit Event to the Community Calendar
  • Resources
  • News Articles
  • Act Now

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”.

  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will be published
  • Will be published
  • Only your CITY will be published. All other address information will NOT be published or shared.
  • Will not be published.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as an Individual

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as an Organization

  • Will be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as a Civic Leader

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign as a Faith Community

  • Will be published
  • Will be published if signing as individual
  • Will be published if signing as individual
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • Will not be published
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Public Health Perspective: Closing the Gap is an Essential Prevention Tool

August 18, 2020 by Hailey Gutzmer Leave a Comment

By: Hailey Gutzmer, Communications Coordinator, Care4Carolina

Classes returned to session at UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health last week. This semester looks very different with most classes taking place over Zoom from the comfort of my apartment.

It has certainly been an interesting time to be a Master of Public Health student, no longer just learning about pandemics but actually experiencing one for yourself. In public health, we continuously discuss not only how we can address population health issues, but also how we can look upstream and prevent threats from ever causing harm. Increasing access to care and health insurance coverage is an essential prevention strategy, yet North Carolina has still failed to close its health insurance coverage gap. 

According to Kaiser Family Foundation, there were approximately 500,000 North Carolinians in the coverage gap prior to the pandemic. Sadly, that number continues to grow as more people lose their incomes and jobs due to COVID with estimates up to 750,000 now in the coverage gap.

It’s no secret that health care in the United States is expensive, especially if you don’t have health insurance. Those without insurance are more likely to put-off necessary health care and lack access to life-saving prevention services, such as screenings. During a pandemic, prompt testing and diagnosis is essential to reducing the spread of the virus. 

Fear of high medical costs for COVID testing and treatment is keeping the uninsured from getting the care they need. These cost barriers cause more people to remain in their communities unknowingly spreading the virus for longer periods of time before diagnosis. In many cases, people without insurance delay seeking medical help until their condition has significantly progressed. Again, this puts North Carolinians in a very dangerous position during a pandemic where the time of treatment can determine chances of survival.

Closing the coverage gap is a simple step that North Carolina can take to help fight the spread of COVID in the state.

Fighting a pandemic requires everyone to do their part. Having people that cannot access testing and treatment puts everyone at risk. Extending coverage to the hundreds of thousands of people in the coverage gap is necessary to ensure the health of all North Carolinians.

Category iconSummer 2020 Series Tag iconCoverage Gap,  Covid-19/coronavirus,  Prevention,  Public Health

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Footer

Contact

Care4Carolina
4021 Carya Dr
Raleigh, NC 27610
Phone: (919) 710-0220
Email: care4carolina@gmail.com

Key Links

  • About
  • Updates
  • Resources
  • News Articles

Act Now

Care4Carolina believes that access to quality, affordable health care helps build a healthier, stronger North Carolina.

Act Now

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 Care4Carolina · All Rights Reserved

Website by Tomatillo Design