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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 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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Addressing Health Inequities by Closing the Coverage Gap

January 18, 2022 by Hannah Robinson Leave a Comment

By Abby Carter Emanuelson, Grassroots Consultant, Care4Carolina

During a speech in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Dr. Martin Luther King linked the quest for equality to health care, saying: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

All too often, this injustice comes down to affordability and specifically being priced out of the health insurance market. In the early 2000s, I worked with members of the North Carolina General Assembly to make health insurance more affordable for people with costly health conditions, like multiple sclerosis, cancer and heart disease, to be able to purchase affordable health insurance.  Establishing a high-risk insurance pool was one approach to addressing affordability – but once the Affordable Care Act was signed into law – more comprehensive solution was available to all – namely preventing insurers from including the pre-existing conditions clause and availing the insurance market to individuals and small businesses through healthcare.gov.

In December, a record number of Americans signed up for health insurance through healthcare.gov due to improvements made by Congress and the Biden Administration.  However, millions of Americans remain in the coverage gap, including approximately 600,000 North Carolinians, because states like North Carolina have NOT expanded coverage through Medicaid.

And unfortunately, due to systemic injustices as referenced by Dr. King, people of color face long standing disparities in healthcare coverage — contributing to greater barriers to accessing health care.  American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) and Hispanic populations had uninsured rates greater than 20%.  

In September 2020, KFF reported their findings from an extensive literature review on how expansion has affected racial disparities in health coverage, access to care, health outcomes, and economic outcomes.  Two-thirds of the studies on disparities in health coverage “helped narrow but not eliminate racial/ethnic disparities.  Notably, the studies found that Black and Hispanic improved cancer correlated with “decreased coverage disparities.”

The North Carolina General Assembly again has the opportunity to expand coverage, and ultimately care, to more North Carolinians by closing the health insurance coverage gap.  Expanding access to coverage would make us a more humane society.

Category iconUpdates Tag iconCoverage Gap,  Health Equity

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