Morrisville, NC (June 29, 2017)
According to an issue brief released today by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM), hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians gained health insurance coverage between 2013 and 2015. During that time, state data from the American Community Survey show a 4.7 percentage point decline in the number of uninsured under 65, or 387,000 fewer uninsured North Carolinians.
The number of uninsured non-elderly fell across all populations. Part-time workers, as well as people working in the service, hospitality, and retail industries, experienced some of the largest declines in the number of uninsured. Most uninsured North Carolinians live in households connected to the workforce.
Rates of uninsured decreased the most for families with incomes less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guideline (FPG), but decreased across all levels of income, including families with incomes greater than 400% of the FPG. Uninsurance rates also decreased across race/ethnicity/citizenship status and age groups.
Health insurance status is one important factor in determining access to care and overall health status. State and federal laws that impact access to Medicaid, premium rates, and subsidies may have profound effects on health insurance status over the coming years.
About the North Carolina Institute of Medicine:
The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) is an independent, quasi-state agency that was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1983 to provide balanced, nonpartisan information on issues of relevance to the health of North Carolina’s population. The NCIOM convenes task forces of knowledgeable and interested individuals to study complex health issues facing the state in order to develop workable solutions to address these issues to improve health, health care access, and quality of health care in North Carolina. Visit www.nciom.org for more information.