John Coggin speaks at Prayer Breakfast
On Wednesday, May 23, Care4Carolina hosted a prayer breakfast to raise awareness about the critical need to close the health insurance coverage gap in North Carolina. The event featured faith leaders, health advocates, people that have experienced the gap first hand, and lawmakers. Nearly 50 people attended the event. An insurance coverage gap occurs when a person makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid but makes too little money to afford private insurance offered through the federal Marketplace.
The coalition held the prayer breakfast to shine a spotlight on the need to find a solution for those in the coverage gap in North Carolina. As we have worked on this issue we have come to learn that the people in the gap represent hard-working families. The event gave North Carolinians who live in rural parts of the state the opportunity to share their health insurance challenges with decision makers in Raleigh.
Representatives Dobson (R-McDowell), Lambeth (R-Forsyth), and Murphy (R-Pitt) spoke about their reasons for filing legislation that would create a NC solution for closing the coverage gap. Each lawmaker spoke to the unmet needs of people in our state and their collective goal to help assure North Carolinians can access the health care they need.
Michelle Ballasiotes and Ilana Adlee, local advocates, share about their experiences and why closing the coverage gap matters to them on the You’re the Cure website. Check out their stories!
To learn more about the insurance coverage gap in North Carolina and the work of the Care4Carolina coalition, check out their website or contact Carla Obiol at carla.obiol@heart.org.
Our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. For nearly 100 years, we’ve been fighting heart disease and stroke, striving to save and improve lives. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer worldwide, and stroke ranks second globally. Even when those conditions don’t result in death, they cause disability and diminish quality of life. We want to see a world free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.