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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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Expanding Medicaid Would Strengthen Community Health Centers, Expand Access in Rural and Underserved Communities

August 9, 2022 by Hannah Robinson 1 Comment

By Stacie Borrello, Communications and External Affairs Manager, North Carolina Community Health Center Association

National Health Center Week, which runs this August 7-13, 2022, is an annual, nationwide celebration of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), also known as Community Health Centers (CHCs), which provide integrated primary medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and enabling services to more than 743,000 people in the state, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. By mission, Community Health Centers provide high-quality care in rural and medically underserved communities and to vulnerable populations, and as such are the backbone of the primary care safety net in North Carolina.

This National Health Center Week, CHCs across the state are holding over 30 public events in celebration of their accomplishments and the contributions of staff, stakeholders, and — most of all — patients, who make up a majority of all CHC governing boards.

Community Health Centers have much to celebrate, but they also face challenges due to the fact that North Carolina has not yet expanded Medicaid. While CHCs are the provider of choice for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians with private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid, 40 percent of Community Health Center patients are completely uninsured, which puts a strain on CHCs’ operating budgets and limits those patients’ ability to access care outside the CHC due to cost burdens.

A new analysis of health center finances and interviews released this week shows that expanding Medicaid would not only directly benefit those gaining coverage, it would significantly increase revenue for North Carolina’s Community Health Centers. On average, net increases in reimbursements to health centers would jump by 32.2% a year under Medicaid expansion—for health care services they are already providing to their uninsured patients.

“Under Medicaid expansion we would be getting an additional $3-4 million a year in revenue from Medicaid. Those are dollars that FQHCs will reinvest into new services and new practice locations,” said Chris Vann, chief development officer at CommWell Health, a Community Health Center with sites in five counties throughout the southeastern region of our state.

Because CHCs are required to reinvest all non-grant funds into programs that expand care access for the medically underserved, expanding Medicaid will not only promote financial stability for these critical providers, it will also enable CHCs to do even more to meet the needs of their communities: recruiting more providers to rural communities, expanding service lines like behavioral health and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services, and increasing capacity to provide more North Carolinians with a primary care medical home.

For a detailed look at how Medicaid Expansion would benefit Community Health Centers and their patients, refer to the North Carolina Community Health Center Association’s August 2022 Issue Brief: More Than an Insurance Card: How Medicaid expansion will increase the services of NC Community Health Centers and improve health outcomes.

To highlight the urgency of Medicaid expansion, advocates gathered at the N.C. General Assembly on Tuesday, July 26, for a vigil ahead of lawmakers’ special session, which saw no action on passing Medicaid Expansion. One of the speakers at the vigil was Dr Joel Lutterman, Chief Medical Officer at Advance Community Health in Raleigh, who spoke about how inaction on Medicaid expansion has negatively impacted his patients and health center.

Category iconUpdates Tag iconMedicaid Expansion

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Irma Conrad says

    August 9, 2022 at 9:13 pm

    I found this article, not only informative, on the valid reasons for Medicaid expansion; but it also explains the myriad of benefits that will greatly impact those visiting the health centers. Let’s all celebrate National Health Center Week with keeping the focus on the expansion of Medicaid to benefit all.

    Reply

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