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Care4Carolina

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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 Civic Leader

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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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Closing the Coverage Gap is Good for Public Safety

September 21, 2021 by Katie Horneffer Leave a Comment

By Katie Horneffer, Intern, Care4Carolina

Each year, North Carolina spends over $1.5 billion to keep nearly 52,000 people incarcerated in its prisons and jails. Corrections costs also make a significant dent in counties’ budgets; for example, Haywood County spends about $3.4 million per year in jail costs, Macon County spends about $2.6 million, and Jackson County spends about $2.1 million. Closing the health insurance coverage gap would increase access to affordable mental health and substance use treatment—reducing crime, incarceration rates, and public safety costs.

Substance use and mental health issues are common in the justice-involved population. About 70% of incarcerated individuals have a substance use disorder, and 65% report symptoms of mental illness. In North Carolina, 33% of federal prison sentences are drug-related. Recognizing the important role behavioral health plays in our justice system, advocates from both political parties have pushed for treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration for minor crimes.

By helping individuals manage their mental health and substance use, closing the coverage gap can reduce crime and incarceration rates. One study found that states that have closed their coverage gap saw a 5.3% reduction in annual violent crime rates, which translates to a total annual cost savings of $4 billion.

Improved access to behavioral health treatment can also reduce reentry rates among formerly incarcerated individuals. Right now, only about 2% of justice-involved individuals in North Carolina have access to Medicaid upon release from prison, making it difficult to get needed services to manage their behavioral health. When substance use or mental health goes untreated and unmanaged, it easily can lead an individual back to prison or jail.

By increasing access to affordable health insurance, formerly incarcerated people have a better change of successfully reintegrating into the community. Studies show that justice-involved individuals with Medicaid coverage have 16% fewer detentions in the year following release, compared to those without coverage. People with Medicaid coverage are also 14 percentage points more likely to receive treatment for an opioid use disorder, and access to medication treatment for substance use can lead to a 17-33% decline in arrests.

Reducing our prison population wouldn’t just be good for our community—it comes with financial savings, too. The NC Department of Public Safety spends nearly $38,000 per year on each individual incarcerated in our state’s prisons. It’s far less expensive to pay for an individual’s behavioral health treatment than it is to pay for their incarceration. And because the federal government covers 90% of the cost of closing the coverage gap—with even higher federal funding under the American Rescue Plan—most of the cost of behavioral health treatment for this population would be covered by federal dollars, not state dollars.

Closing the coverage gap would also save public safety dollars by covering some healthcare costs for incarcerated individuals. Although Medicaid doesn’t cover health services provided in prisons, it covers inpatient care that incarcerated people receive outside the prison. But because North Carolina has not closed its coverage gap, most incarcerated individuals aren’t eligible for Medicaid—so the Department of Public Safety has to pick up those costs. Closing the coverage gap would save the NC Department of Public Safety an estimated $10 million each year in justice-involved inpatient health expenses. It would also offset county-level spending on prisoner health expenses, which can cost counties hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. This would free up our public safety system to spend these dollars on other pressing safety issues in our communities, like fire protection or emergency response.

Closing the coverage gap would expand alternatives to incarceration while reducing public safety expenses. Urge your representatives to act now to provide access to affordable health insurance for all North Carolinians. A healthy community is a safer community.

Category iconWeekly Blog Tag iconGood for Public Safety

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