North Carolina Health Insurance
Almost 83 percent of all residents in North Carolina have Health Insurance coverage. This percentage, although average when compared to the rest of states in the country, needs to be raised, as there still are 17% of residents in North Carolina that, in case of a medical emergency, will have no coverage and will most likely have to pay a lot of medical expenses out of their pocket. A worrying fact is that, across the state, health insurance coverage has been decreasing for the past fifteen years. The State’s Departments of Insurance and Health & Human Services need to work on accessibility and adequacy of the Health Insurance within the state, so the policies offered can reach more residents.
Another indicator that has been decreasing over the past years is the percentage of employers offering health benefits to their employees in North Carolina. Almost 57% of employers are currently offering Health Insurance, a benefit that 79.3% of workers take advantage of.
Public Health funding is also low in North Carolina when compared with the nation’s average. Nevertheless, they make the most out of what they have, as they are still able to offer adequate care to its residents. The rate of primary care physicians, at 115 physicians per 100,000 residents, is very good. North Carolina needs to regain the accessibility it used to have in terms of health, if they want the situation to improve. The percentage of the North Carolina residents that could get medical care when needed is 84%. Federally Qualified Health Centers are also available within the state, and they serve about 11.4% of the population under de 200% FPL.
If you are looking for Health Insurance in North Carolina, we recommend you to visit the Department of Insurance website. As the entity designated to regulate the insurance industry within the state, they can help you by ensuring that companies or agents you’re interested in purchasing from have the correspondent licenses to sell you Health Insurance in North Carolina.
Health Information:
Health Ranking: #36
State Health Department Web Site: http://www.kdheks.gov/
North Carolina has been ranked for the fourth year in a row as America’s 36th healthiest state. This ranking, given by the United Health Foundation, takes into consideration many health indicators, and compares them across the country. North Carolina is a state that has been relatively stable for the past years, neither decreasing nor improving its status. There are still many issues that need to be worked in North Carolina, which could increase the state’s overall healthiness. North Carolina is still, overall, below the national average, so both State officials and residents need to work together to improve the health status of their state.
What can be improved within the state? For starters, an increase in public health funding (which in 2008 was $50 per capita) is always encouraged, as it usually means that accessibility is improved, and it can help increase the percentage of Health Insurance coverage among the residents of the state. With a small push, North Carolina’s health system can be greatly improved.
Health Highlights
- One of the state’s strongest health features is the low incidence of binge drinking among its residents. With only 11.8% of residents in North Carolina being binge drinkers, this is one of the country’s lowest percentages.
- North Carolina takes good care of its workers. The occupational death rate is only at 5.2 deaths for every 100,000 workers.
- Despite being one of the major issues to improve within the state, public health funding actually increased in 2008.
Health Weaknesses
- Some of the health issues this state needs to work on, is the high prevalence of smokers in North Carolina (almost 23% of its residents are smokers), and the very and a high prevalence of obesity, as 28.7% percent of residents are obese.
- The incidence of infant mortality is high, at 8.5 deaths per 1,000 live births. The percentage of families with children under 18 living in poverty is also high, as 21% percent of them live in poverty conditions.
- The increase in the percentage of population lacking health insurance has increased about five percent in the past 15 years.
- The percentage of toddlers receiving complete immunizations has lowered over two percent over the past year.
North Carolina Health Insurance Quotes
In order to save on health insurance in North Carolina and find the best match for your personal coverage needs, you need more information than any one health insurance company can provide. You need to be able to review quotes from a broad range of North Carolina health insurance companies and see how their plan rates and benefits stack up. That is why we enable you to choose from a broad range of insurance companies and health insurance plans available in North Carolina.
North Carolina Health Insurance News
As a resident of North Carolina, it’s always important to be informed of the latest events and news regarding Health Insurance in your state. Here are some of the latest headlines that mention Health Care and Health Insurance related topics for North Carolina:
North Carolina Insurance and Department of Health Information
If you have any additional questions or need special assistance, feel free to visit or contact North Carolina’s Department of Insurance and Department of Health and Human Services directly:
North Carolina Department of Insurance
Dobbs Building
430 N. Salisbury St.
Raleigh, NC 27603-5926
Phone: (800) 546-5664
http://www.ncdoi.com/
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
101 Blair Drive
Raleigh, NC 27699
Phone: (919) 733-4534
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us



