North Carolina Health Insurance

How healthy is living in North Carolina?

Despite notable improvement in three categories, North Carolina held steady in the #37 spot in the 2009 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• North Carolina saw significant improvement in three categories.
• The percentage of uninsured in North Carolina fell from 17.2 to 15.9 percent of the population in 2009.
• The precentage of children in poverty has fallen from 23.1 percent to 19.4 percent in North Carolina over the past five years.
• Also on the decline: the prevalence of smoking in the state, falling from 31.6 percent to 20.9 percent.
• The percentage of uninsured in North Carolina fell from 17.2 to 15.9 percent of the population in 2009.

The bad news:

• The prevalence of obesity has increased over the past decade from 19.4 percent to 29.5 percent of the population.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Prevalence of binge drinking – #10
• Occupational fatalities – #19
• Cancer deaths – #40
• Prevalence of obesity – #41
• Infant mortality – #44
• Immunization coverage – #45

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on North Carolina.

Does North Carolina have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

North Carolina Health Insurance Risk Pool (NCHIRP)
Toll-free 1-866-665-2117

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, North Carolina will offer health coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about North Carolina's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in North Carolina

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in North Carolina and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in North Carolina.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in North Carolina

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations help fund its research. Learn more about the Health Policy Institute.

Review Georgetown's guide for North Carolina.

USNews health insurance rankings for North Carolina

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in North Carolina.

Official State Goverment Sites with North Carolina Health Insurance Information

North Carolina Medicaid -- serves about 20 percent of the state's population, whose low income prevents them from purchasing health insurance in the private market.

North Carolina Health Choice (NCHC) for Children -- for families who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford rising health insurance premiums so they are able to get free or reduced price comprehensive health care for their children.

Non-profit site(s) of interest to North Carolinans

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NC IOM) -- is an independent, non-profit organization that serves as a non-political source of health policy analysis and advice in North Carolina.