April 23, 2007

Emily Sloan
Assistant Director, Public Relations
(910) 715-5376

FirstCarolinaCare Raises Awareness During Cover the Uninsured Week 2007

PINEHURST – FirstCarolinaCare joins numerous health-care organizations and foundations across the nation to increase the awareness of the plight of the uninsured during Cover the Uninsured Week 2007, April 23-27.

According to the Census Bureau, the number of uninsured Americans stood at an all-time high of 46.6 million in 2005. That means 15.9 percent of Americans lack health coverage.

But the lack of insurance affects more than just those without coverage. The costs of the uninsured are passed along to those who are covered through higher insurance premiums and higher costs for medical services.

As Cover the Uninsured Week enlists national support to broaden coverage to the uninsured, efforts are also being made in the Sandhills region to address this crisis.

FirstCarolinaCare, the health plan subsidiary of FirstHealth of the Carolinas, has been developing ways to reduce the number of working uninsured in its service area since it was formed in 2000. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, eight out of 10 people who are uninsured are in working families.

In 2003, FirstCarolinaCare developed FirstPlan, a health benefit plan for small businesses that provides a premium subsidy for eligible employers and lower-wage workers. As of March 2007, FirstCarolinaCare provided coverage to more than 2,700 small business employees and their dependents. Almost 20 percent of them were previously uninsured.

In an effort to address the staggering rate of growth of the uninsured in the young adult population, FirstCarolinaCare again became an innovator by expanding the definition of dependent in its health plans to include children up to 26 years of age regardless of their full-time student status. This expansion of dependent eligibility became effective January 1, 2007.

Other insurers in the state typically offer dependent child coverage up to age 19, unless the child remains a full-time student or is mentally or physically disabled and incapable of self-support.

“Statistics show that after age 25, the probability of being uninsured declines gradually with age,” says Ken Lewis, FirstCarolinaCare president. “The decision to extend the age for dependent eligibility to include young adults up to age 26 is a direct reflection of FirstCarolinaCare’s mission to reduce the rate of growth of the uninsured. Broadening coverage ultimately benefits both the business and general community.”

Now in its fifth year, Cover the Uninsured Week brings together business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to demand that the nation's leaders find solutions for the 46 million Americans living without health insurance. What started in 2003 as a weeklong effort to raise awareness has since become a nationwide movement to make sure that the issue is a top national priority.

“Everyone can join this nationwide effort to expand coverage to the uninsured,” says Lewis. “Cover the Uninsured Week provides a platform to raise awareness in our local community and encourages support of efforts to broaden coverage.”

As the 2008 presidential race gears up, health care and the need to expand coverage to the uninsured ranks as one of the most important issues for Republicans, Democrats and independents alike.

“As the candidates continue to unveil their plans to cover the uninsured, we should pay close attention because leadership in Washington is essential to finding solutions to this national crisis,” Lewis says.

To learn more about Cover the Uninsured Week, visit www.covertheuninsured.com.

FirstCarolinaCare, a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstHealth of the Carolinas, is headquartered in Pinehurst, N.C., and serves nearly 11,000 members in a six-county service area. It offers a range of small- and large-group health benefit plans. FirstCarolinaCare received the 2006 Honor Roll For Coverage Award from the Health Care Leadership Council, which recognizes exemplary community programs that have distinguished themselves as leaders in providing access to health coverage for uninsured Americans. FirstCarolinaCare has also been given a financial safety rating of B+ or “good" by the respected Weiss Ratings Inc., which is noted for its objective and accurate insurance company evaluations.