health insurance coverage
Biden administration to crack down on ‘junk’ health insurance plans, surprise billing
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced new initiatives Friday that could reduce health care costs, though none will take effect immediately. The changes include a proposed rule that would reduce the amount of time short-term health insurance plans can last and require companies that offer the plans to be more transparent about what is covered […]
John Cole: The Medicaid expansion blockade continues
[Editor’s note: In case you missed it, NC Policy Watch editorial cartoonist John Cole crafted an insightful bonus cartoon this week that neatly sums up the maddening state of affairs at the North Carolina General Assembly, where the excuses for not expanding the state’s Medicaid program to provide coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured […]
New mapping provides county-by-county profile of NC’s low-wage uninsured workers
Researchers at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families have published a new report that profiles the hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians attempting to survive without health insurance. North Carolina, of course, is one of 12 states that has not yet taken up Medicaid expansion, thus denying a huge number of working adults […]
Report: NC is fifth in the nation in lost health insurance coverage due to the COVID-19 recession
A recent report from researchers at the group Families USA tells a sobering story of the impact the current recession is having on millions of adults and their health coverage. This is from the executive summary to “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Resulting Economic Crash Have Caused the Greatest Health Insurance Losses in American History”: An […]
Voices from the pandemic: Unemployed and dealing with NC’s inadequate safety net
While I was going to college, my parents were losing their life’s savings. I remember coming home from the University of Oregon. Dad gave me a hug in the backyard and, near tears, said “I’ve always had a dream. I can’t see it anymore.” He was deeply depressed. My parents had purchased a hardware store […]
Experts: Health pandemic exposes failure to expand Medicaid, reliance on employer-provided insurance
In case you missed it, there was a fine story on NBC News last week that highlighted North Carolina’s failure to expand Medicaid, and the huge and unnecessary problems it was causing for uninsured people even before the coronavirus pandemic. Among other things, “Coronavirus challenges states that rejected Medicaid expansion, leaves uninsured with few options” […]
Medicaid and Medicare mark 53rd anniversary by continuing to serve millions of North Carolinians today
Medicaid and Medicare were signed into law on July 30, 1965 – exactly 53 years ago this week. Since these programs were created, they have given millions of people access to a doctor so they can maintain their health. Over the long-term, these programs have provided significant returns on investment, such as benefiting children into […]
NC’s and the nation’s uninsured rate has fallen to a historic low under ACA, but you’d never know that listening to Senate leaders
Here’s some important and quick facts that all Americans and North Carolinians should know this week, when the Senate will formally vote in an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act: The United States has made significant progress over the past seven years when it comes to reducing the number of people that are uninsured, […]