Inclusive Health Day Debuts 35th High Risk Insurance Pool in Nation

North Carolina has a new initiative to cover "uninsured and hard to insure citizens." A press conference was held at the Wake Medical Center's Raleigh campus on New Bern Avenue. Inclusive Health is a "semi-governmental" agency that will "provide access to quality non-group health care coverage to individuals whose health and/or medical history qualifies them as “high risk” and at a price that is lower than that charged to high-risk individuals by commercial health insurers."

Dr. Bill Atkins, CEO of WakeMed, referred to the number of unemployed citizens in the richest nation in the world as a "political and social embarrassment" and said that healthcare in the United States "is an issue that needs to be solved on a much larger scale."

Wayne Goodman, NC Insurance Commissioner and former House Representative for Richmond, Scotland, Montgomery and Stanly counties, emphasized every citizens right to healthcare coverage and called some situations of uninsurance as "inhumane." He encouraged all in attendance to "get to work on the number of North Carolinians without health insurance."

Attendees also heard from Inclusive Health member Christopher Estes. A former Optician, Mr. Estes was laid off from his job due to his diagnosis with Parkinson. Under his employer Estes had paid $212 per month for coverage of himself and his wife. The cost of insurance, quoted at $1181 per month, coupled with the cost of his medications exceeded his monthly disability benefits. "Without this[Inclusive Health] I would not be able to afford my medications," Estes said.

North Carolina is the 35th high risk insurance pool in the nation.

You or someone you know can find out if Inclusive Health should be your choice for healthcare coverage by visiting www.inclusivehealth.org