And He Cured Many Who Were Sick
Health Care

1. North Carolina’s estimated number of uninsured as of January 2009 was about 1.75 million. This translates to about 21.2 percent of all non-elderly North Carolinians.

 

2. There are 269,000 uninsured children in North Carolina.

 

3. Of North Carolina’s uninsured, 14 percent are white, 21 percent are black, 49

percent are Latino, and 24 percent identify with other ethnic groups. Communities of color are suffering disproportionately in crisis of affordable health care coverage.

 

4. Almost 1 out of 10 children (0-17) are without health insurance in North Carolina.

 

5. 6 out of 10 Americans in 2009 carried their health insurance through their employers. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/insurance_loss.html

 

6. Uninsured rates for the nonelderly 2009 in North Carolina:

 

Race/Ethnicity	NC - number	NC - percent	US - number	US - percent
White	721,800	14%	23,379,400	14%
Black	379,200	21%	7,581,100	23%
Hispanic	315,800	49%	15,617,700	34%
Other	118,700	24%	3,419,700	18%
Total	1,535,500	19%	49,997,900	19%

7. Of North Carolinians, 83.1% either strongly agree or agree that “the State

Legislature should make a plan so that all North Carolina residents can get decent health care on a regular basis.” This includes 73% of Republicans, 81% of Democrats, and 86% of those not identifying with either party.

 

8. The North Carolina Council of Churches, in an October 1996 Policy Statement,

stated:

We continue to call for the establishment of universal health care coverage as the only way to ensure access to basic health care for everyone. Until this long-term goal is reached, we support the following interim measures:

• Increase the use of Medicaid, especially by increasing eligibility, improving

outreach efforts to those who qualify, and making services easier to access.

• Expand the use of school-based health centers, especially in counties with high

numbers of uninsured school-age children.

• Assure access to health care, especially for emergency services and deliveries,

for immigrants.

9. Being uninsured increases a person’s chance of premature death by 25 percent. Nationally, this results in 18,000 avoidable deaths annually amongst uninsured nonelderly people.

 

10. In North Carolina, 43% of small businesses (less than 50 employees) offer health insurance, compared to 96.7% of business with 50 or more employees.

 

 

11. Estimates of citizens in North Carolina who are eligible for Medicaid but are not signed up:

 192,000 children under 18

46,000 adults with dependent children

13,000 uninsured pregnant women

4,000 people with disabilities

12. The majority of health care dollars are spent on cancer, heart disease, and diabetes rather than infectious diseases. These can be cured in many cases by a healthier diet, lifestyle, and medical treatment.

 

 

Sources:
1. NC Medical Journal, “North Carolina’s Increase in the Uninsured: 2007-2009” http://www.ncmedicaljournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/DS_2009-01_UninUnemp.pdf

2. State Health Facts, http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileglance.jsp?rgn=35

3. State Health Facts, http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=143&cat=3&rgn=35

4. Action for Children, http://www.ncchild.org/press-release/number-uninsured-children-improves-north-carolina-mynccom

5. Center for American Progress, http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/05/insurance_loss.html

6. State Health Facts, http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=143&cat=3&rgn=35

7. Health Care for All North Carolina, http://www.healthcareforallnc.org/legislation/index.cfm?temp_id=99999

8. North Carolina Council of Churches, http://www.nccouncilofchurches.org/1997/01/a-policy-statement-on-health-care/

9. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Uninsured Handbook, www.bcbsnc.com/pdfs/BCBSNC_Uninsured_Minibook.pdf