Number of Tar Heels without health insurance rises
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
By Staff
By Gregory Childress : The Herald-Sun
gchildress@heraldsun.com
Aug 27, 2008
DURHAM — New data from the U.S. Census show that 17.2 percent of the state's residents lacked health insurance in 2006-07, up 2.1 percentage points from the 15.1 percent in 2004-05.
The percentage of uninsured North Carolinians over the two-year period was greater than the national average, which was 15.1 percent in 2004-05 and 15.5 percent in 2006-07.
North Carolina's numbers translate into more than 1.5 million residents not covered by a health insurance plan, an increase of roughly 500,000 since 2000.
Area health care advocates say the statistics, which include 12.1 percent of the state's children under 18 who are without health insurance, are disappointing.
"We know what to do, we can do things on the state level, we just lack the political will," said Adam Searing, director of the N.C. Health Access Coalition.
To improve the numbers, Searing said North Carolina should follow the example of other states that have guaranteed health care for all children. He said the General Assembly could, for example, expand existing programs such as NC HealthChoice to make more children eligible. (more…)
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