New Hanover has one health insurance provider, rising premiums and things might get worse

MORRISVILLE — The healthcare situation in North Carolina could be described as grim: with only one insurance provider in most counties and rate hikes on the way, residents have few options. According to a report released this week, things may get worse for some.

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) released a brief on Thursday, June 1, on how the American Health Care Act would impact residents. The bill, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4, 2017, is not yet a law; the NCIOM brief on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) was designed to “consider the potential impact of the AHCA on North Carolina.”

The independent, nonpartisan agency – established in 1983 by the state’s General Assembly – detailed the impact of the AHCA by county, age and income bracket. Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina is the only provider in 95 of North Carolina’s 100 counties (with Cigna providing coverage in five Raleigh-area counties).

In the Cape Fear region, the study was based on the potential changes that would occur under Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. (You can read the full NCIOM brief here, including information on all 100 counties.)

According to the NCIOM report, “older and poorer North Carolinians will face higher costs while younger and more affluent North Carolinians will enjoy lower costs.”

In the Cape Fear region – in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties — a low-income, 60-year-old resident would be hit hardest, losing approximately $10,000 a year in assistance. Conversely, a 27-year-old resident making more than $75,000 would gain $4,000 a year.

Other key findings from the NCIOM brief include:

• With the federal government cutting funding to Medicaid, North Carolina will have to decide whether or not to use the state budget to maintain the current level of support
• The AHCA would allow states to waive the essential health benefits requirements. This would, in essence, allow insurance companies to raise prices for customers with pre-existing conditions. It would, however, lower insurance costs for many in the state.