access to care

We see the back of a man's head and the two women talking to him. The clinic cares for patients in the uninsured gap and racial disparities in access to care.

North Carolina lags in shrinking inequalities in access to care

February 7, 2020 by Yen Duong

North Carolina lags in shrinking inequalities in access to care - North Carolina Health News

A new study shows that in states with Medicaid expansion, racial disparities have shrunk for access to care. But NC lags and DHHS is trying to do something about it.

By Yen Duong Two documents from the past month reflect the state of racial disparities in access to health care in North Carolina. A new report from the Commonwealth Fund, a health care policy nonprofit, showed that racial disparities in access to health care across the country have shrunk since the Affordable Care Act was […]

red barn on a hillside, next to a field of grass. It's an analogy for rural health or the rural-urban divide.

Rural-urban divide continues to widen, report finds

November 18, 2019 by Liora Engel-Smith

Rural-urban divide continues to widen, report finds - North Carolina Health News

Rural communities are seeing more deaths from potentially preventable chronic diseases and unintentional injury compared with their urban counterparts, a CDC report released earlier this month found.

By Liora Engel-Smith Spend any time talking about rural health and you’re bound to hear about divides, disparities and deserts. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found this litany of challenges amounts to higher rates of potentially preventable deaths in rural Americans under 80 as compared with their urban counterparts. […]

shows the silhouette of a brain and the silhouette of hands cradling the brain

Most states don’t do well with mental health parity, but others are setting an example for enforcement.

February 12, 2019 by Yen Duong

Most states don’t do well with mental health parity, but others are setting an example for enforcement. - North Carolina Health News

Some states have involved mental health advocates in creating policies around mental health parity, and gotten more effective enforcement.

The last in our series on mental health parity laws and enforcement in North Carolina, and beyond. By Yen Duong In 2018, the national advocacy project, Parity Track, gave North Carolina an “F” on how well its statutes guarantee that people with mental health issues get treatment equal to those who require physical health interventions. […]

shows a screen grab of the front page of the medical section of GoFundMe.

GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic gaps’ in health system showing up in crowdfunding

February 1, 2019 by Kaiser Health News

GoFundMe CEO: ‘Gigantic gaps’ in health system showing up in crowdfunding - North Carolina Health News

The company CEO says he never imagined that the fundraising platform would be used so frequently by people desperate to pay their medical bills.

By Rachel Bluth Kaiser Health News Scrolling through the GoFundMe website reveals seemingly an endless number of people who need help or community support. A common theme: the cost of health care. It didn’t start out this way. Back in 2010, when the crowdfunding website began, it suggested fundraisers for “ideas and dreams,” “wedding donations […]

shows a line drawing that outlines a head, but the line is also an electical cord with a light bulb at the end

Determining disparity in mental health treatment can be difficult

January 30, 2019 by Yen Duong

Determining disparity in mental health treatment can be difficult - North Carolina Health News

Even when patients suspect insurers are not covering their mental illness on par with how they'd cover a physical problem, proving it can be a challenge.

The fourth story in a series examining mental health parity. By Yen Duong An October report from a national advocacy project gave North Carolina an “F” when it comes to statutes on treating mental and physical health similarly. Nonetheless, Jennifer Snow, the national director of public policy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said […]

shows two silhouettes facing one another

Mental health providers struggle with disparities in the system

January 23, 2019 by Yen Duong

Mental health providers struggle with disparities in the system - North Carolina Health News

Patients aren’t the only ones affected by how insurers often treat medical and behavioral health issues differently—providers are also struggling to get by.

The third in a series of stories about mental health parity. By Yen Duong Patients often struggle to find therapists, counselors or psychiatrists within their insurance networks—but many mental health providers don’t accept insurance and leave the paperwork for patients to file an out-of-network claim with their insurance companies. “In North Carolina, we have people […]

North Carolina gets a ‘F’ on how equally it treats mental and physical health issues

January 15, 2019 by Yen Duong

North Carolina gets a ‘F’ on how equally it treats mental and physical health issues - North Carolina Health News

This is the first in a series of stories exploring mental health parity—treating mental and physical health equally—in North Carolina. What is parity, why do we rank behind other states, and what do these rankings mean? Future stories in this series will include stories of patients and providers trying to make it through the system, how the insurance appeals process works and how the North Carolina Department of Insurance tries to help.

By Yen Duong 49 out of 100, or a solid F. That’s the grade that North Carolina received on a report card in October on how well its laws support federal laws passed more than a decade ago calling for mental health to be treated on par with physical health. “Our F rating, we believe, […]

Many are injured on the job, most lack health insurance. Meet the cowboys of the sea.

July 23, 2018 by Taylor Knopf

Many are injured on the job, most lack health insurance. Meet the cowboys of the sea. - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina fishermen face hazards every day on the job, but one of the biggest ones they're finding is the risk of getting hurt and having no way to pay for care.

By Taylor Knopf North Carolina fishermen work long hours, and many fish alone. When harvesting shrimp, they can stay out on the water four to five days at a time. Broken bones and lacerations are common. Fishermen are disproportionately affected by skin cancer. The majority complain of back pain. Other lose limbs, even as many […]

Treatment chairs at the new ECU affiliated dental clinic based at Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center

Bill Would Study Rural Medical Education, Ease the Way for More Dentists

June 15, 2018 by Rose Hoban

Bill Would Study Rural Medical Education, Ease the Way for More Dentists - North Carolina Health News

Legislators want to know more about what can help get and keep health care practitioners practicing in North Carolina's rural towns.

By Rose Hoban When it comes to health care, one of the biggest problems faced by rural residents often is finding a doctor, dentists or other practitioner near home. A bill unveiled in the waning days of the annual legislative work session seeks to find ways to incentivize more medical providers to settle – and […]

a doctor in a darkened room examines xrays of breast tissue to look for cancer.

Study: Black Women with Breast Cancer Suffer More Financially

May 9, 2018 by Rose Hoban

Study: Black Women with Breast Cancer Suffer More Financially - North Carolina Health News

Even when controlling for other factors, research from UNC Chapel Hill shows African-American women are under disproportionately higher financial stress during and after treatment.

By Rose Hoban Amid growing evidence that patients are under increased financial stress, new research from UNC Chapel Hill finds that black women with breast cancer end up under worse financial strain during treatment than whites. Stephanie Wheeler, an associate professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, examined data collected as part of […]

Additional Thanks

Categories