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Care4Carolina

Expanding access. Enhancing prosperity.

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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 an Organization

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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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Keeping North Carolina’s Mothers and Babies Healthy

September 28, 2021 by Katie Horneffer

By Katie Horneffer, Intern, Care4Carolina

Our children are our future, and our state has an important role to play in keeping babies and their mothers healthy. Knowing this, North Carolina provides health coverage to low-income women during and immediately after pregnancy. Yet many women do not have access to affordable health insurance before pregnancy, leaving them with unmet health needs and unmanaged chronic conditions. Currently, 15.7% of North Carolina women of childbearing age are uninsured. Closing the coverage gap would provide more young women with health insurance before they become pregnant, improving maternal and infant health outcomes for North Carolinians.

Medicaid provides health insurance to eligible women while they’re pregnant and for 60 days after they give birth. This program provides important prenatal and perinatal services, including education, counseling, behavioral intervention, and medical home visits. For example, participating women can access postpartum depression screenings and counseling, participate in tobacco cessation programs, and visit a doctor for concerns following the birth of their child. By providing North Carolina mothers with healthcare access, this program helps improve the health of women and children in our state.

Yet the current available healthcare coverage is not enough. Compared to the national average, North Carolina mothers are more likely to die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. There are also stark racial disparities, with Black women having higher rates of maternal deaths compared to white women. Clearly, there is more that must be done to keep North Carolina’s mothers healthy and safe.

Pre-conception health plays an important role in influencing maternal and infant health outcomes. But many young women who may be thinking about starting a family don’t have access to affordable health insurance before they become pregnant. Closing the coverage gap represents an important opportunity to ensure that women are healthy before conception and in the early stages of pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of a safe and healthy birth.

By increasing access to preventive care and educational resources before pregnancy, closing the coverage gap can improve the health of young women who are planning to start a family. In states that have closed their coverage gap, young women have fewer barriers to healthcare, better self-rated health, and decreased dangerous drinking habits. These states have higher rates of pre-conception health counseling—which can address issues like smoking, depression, and high blood pressure. Women in these states are 10% more likely to take daily folic acid in the month before conception. And women in these states are also less likely to have multiple pregnancies that are close together, which is a known risk factor for poor maternal and child health outcomes.

Closing the coverage gap doesn’t just improve women’s pre-conception health: pregnant women also have better healthcare in the early stages of pregnancy. One Ohio study found that, after the state closed its coverage gap, women had better access to high-quality prenatal care during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, were more likely to get recommended health screens, and were much more likely to receive prenatal vitamins.

All of these factors can come together to impact the most important maternal health outcome: mortality. Closing the coverage gap saves mothers’ lives. Some studies suggest that states that have closed their coverage gap save as many as 7 maternal lives per 100,000 births, with Black mothers in particular benefitting from the improved access to and quality of care. Healthier mothers lead to healthier babies, too. States that closed their coverage gap saw a 50% greater decline in infant mortality, compared to states that haven’t.

With all of the stress and responsibility that comes with being a new mother, the last thing a woman should have to worry about is accessing the care she needs to keep herself and her baby safe. Healthy babies start with healthy mothers—and by closing the coverage gap, North Carolina can help future mothers access services and resources they need to thrive.

Category iconWeekly Blog Tag iconGood for Health,  Infants and Children,  Maternal Health

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