Increasing Health Insurance Enrollment

Several studies by the National Institute of Medicine conclude that a lack of insurance is hazardous to individual and community health. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010, led to historic gains in health insurance coverage. A robust enrollment effort in North Carolina helped reduce the uninsured rate from about 21 percent in 2010 to a little more than 10 percent in 2017. However, from 2017-2019, federal policies eroded some of these coverage gains. In 2018, the uninsured rate in NC had climbed back to nearly 13 percent, higher than the national average. There is more work to be done to expand access to health services for the more than 1 million North Carolinians who remain uninsured, including American Indian, Black, and Latinx individuals who are less likely to have health coverage due to historic and systemic inequities.

Our goal is to increase enrollment rates in underserved areas or among groups that have been marginalized to improve access and promote the sustainability of critical health services. Additionally, COVID-19 has underscored the need for access to health coverage and other public programs (such as Pandemic EBT) that can provide relief to impacted families. The Trust will support communications, outreach and enrollment efforts that target communities with large numbers of eligible but unenrolled residents or counties with low health insurance enrollment penetration rates. The Trust is interested in proposals that include education about the upcoming Medicaid Transformation process in North Carolina and provide referrals for assistance accessing other public programs available during the pandemic.

Before applying, consider the following questions and requirements:

• Is your organization or work a good fit with the Trust?
• Are you located or operating in North Carolina?
• Does your work focus on improving quality of life and health for North Carolinians with low incomes?
• Do you primarily support populations experiencing poverty?
  • These populations include: individuals living at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level; the uninsured; and those eligible for Medicaid and/or the free/reduced school lunch program.
• Are your clients (or focus population) residents of North Carolina? If yes, then you may fit our geographic criteria.

Organizations the Trust WILL fund:

• Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations
• Governmental entities

Organizations the Trust WILL NOT fund:

• Individuals
• Faith-based organizations without 501(c)(3)
• Type III supporting organizations
• Organizations providing pass-through funds to an ineligible organization

Eligible? Contact us to schedule a consultation.

Back to all funding opportunities.