What Health Care Reform Means for North Carolina

Making the case for change with just the facts

The Department of Health and Human services has released state-by-state reporting on the impact of proposed health insurance legislation making it's way through the Congress. Go to www.healthreform.gov for details.

For North Carolina, health insurance reform means immediate relief for seniors and working families. As early as next year, consumer protections will abolish life time limits, pre-existing conditions, and rescission - the practice of dropping your coverage when you get sick. Reforms will ensure free preventative services and the creation of a high risk insurance pool for folks that cannot now get affordable coverage.

Seniors can look forward to more efficient Medicare services and lower premiums by reducing overpayments to private plans. For example, Medicare recipients pay about $90 more per year than than is necessary because of these excessive payments. Seniors will also receive a 50% discount on brand name drugs. Co payments for preventative services on Medicare will be eliminated.

112,000 small businesses would receive tax credits to make offering health insurance to their employees feasible for the first time.

Currently, people with health insurance pay a hidden tax in the form of higher premiums to cover the uncompensated care provided to people without insurance. This includes everyone, even state employees who pay premiums for their Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance. Health insurance reform will bring more premium payers into the system, thereby reducing or eliminating this hidden tax.

Reform will help as many as 951,000 North Carolina residents who pay for their own insurance today and will be eligible for premium credits to reduce their out-of-pocket expenses.

Visit www.healthreform.gov for more information about what health insurance reform would mean for North Carolina - or any other state in the union.