North Carolina is one of 12 states that has not yet taken up Medicaid expansion, denying hundreds of thousands of working adults access to quality, affordable health care. If the state closed the coverage gap through Medicaid expansion, over 600,000 North Carolinians could gain health insurance.
Thanks to our partners at Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, we know that 42 percent of those working without insurance are employed in the hospitality, retail, and construction industries. These are cashiers, cooks, freight and stock laborers, waiters/waitresses, and even nursing assistants who earn too much to qualify for current Medicaid coverage and too little to buy private insurance.
Many of these North Carolinians are essential workers that many of us have relied upon in some way during the pandemic. Now it’s our turn to help them get reliable, affordable health insurance so they can continue to do their jobs and care for their families. It’s time for North Carolina to accept generous federal funding to expand Medicaid to our state’s uninsured workers.
Where Do North Carolina’s Uninsured Workers Live?
While uninsured working adults live in communities across the state, the 14 counties with the highest proportion of uninsured working adults are in rural parts of North Carolina. Hover over the map to check out the uninsured rate for working adults in your county.
View the full report from Georgetown University Center for Children and Families here.