As of 2019, North Carolina had an uninsured rate of about 11.4%, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which amounts to nearly 1.2 million people without healthcare coverage. When KFF looked again at the uninsured rate in 2021, they found that about 650,100 people without health insurance in North Carolina could enroll in a marketplace plan.
Marketplace health insurance is the kind that’s regulated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It covers pre-existing conditions and a set of 10 essential health benefits, like mental health care and prescription drugs.
The ACA also requires these plans to offer tax credits to people earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. These tax credits, also called premium subsidies, are available to most people.
Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that of the people still without health insurance in North Carolina in 2021 and who qualify for marketplace coverage, close to half of them (43%) could get a bronze plan for free.
The nonprofit also looked at premiums for 2021 in North Carolina. They calculated that average lowest cost premiums were $350 a month for bronze plans, $503 for silver and $518 for gold.
These amounts don’t include premium subsidies. If you qualify for a subsidy in North Carolina, you may save money on your monthly premiums.
Using data from our own marketplace, we found that a 40-year-old living in Chapel Hill and making $37,000 a year would benefit from tax subsidies. With a tax credit, a bronze plan would be just under $142 a month.
How much you pay for health insurance depends on where you live, as does what you can buy. In North Carolina, there are at least 6 insurers offering marketplace coverage in 2021. They include UnitedHealthcare, Oscar, Cigna and BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina.
Sources
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Health Insurance Coverage of the Total Population”
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Marketplace Eligibility Among the Uninsured: Implications for a Broadened Enrollment Period and ACA Outreach” (January 27, 2021)
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Average Marketplace Premiums by Metal Tier, 2018-2021”
Kaiser Family Foundation, “Insurer Participation on the ACA Marketplaces, 2014-2021” (November 23, 2020)