North Carolina Health Insurance

State Rankings

On the whole, North Carolina health insurance and healthcare is below average, with a few bright spots weighed down by a greater number of statistical negatives. Children in poverty is the biggest black mark for North Carolina. The state ranks 47th in the country, with 27.6% of persons under 18 living in poverty, according to Unitedhealth. With that many young people below the poverty line, it is no wonder why many of North Carolina's health insurance outcomes are far below average. Infant mortality is 46th, diabetes is 36th at almost 10%, and public health funding is a mere $53 dollars per person, good for 42nd in the country. On the opposite side of the spectrum, though, North Carolina is sixth in the country in child immunization at 93.2% and also has very low percentages of binge drinking (12%) and infectious disease (4.1 cases per 100K).

North Carolina Healthcare

Like many other Southern states, North Carolina is a very unhealthy state. While the number of smoking residents has decreased in the past decade, they still constitute nearly 20% of the state adult population. Obesity is also nearly 30%, good for 30th in the country. The Kaiser Foundation cites 17% of North Carolinans as being uninsured, which is equal to the national average. The state unemployment rate, though, is nearly a percentage point and a half higher than the current national rate, at 10.4%. High unemployment, uninsured population, and poor outcomes is a recipe for expensive health insurance in North Carolina. Still, North Carolina has several health insurance plans that rated highly in the 2011 NCQA national survey: