Answers For North Carolina Health Insurance Questions

This is the place to begin to get answers for your North Carolina health insurance questions. If you have a question to which you can't find a clear answer, go to our Contact Us Page and send us an email.

If your issue is complicated and might require some research, a preliminary email request would be best. If you need personalized assistance and need to talk to someone, go to our Location Page and call us.

Get a Free, No-Obligation Quote:

Get a North Carolina Individual Health Insurance Quote.

Get a North Carolina Family Health Insurance Quote.

Get a North Carolina Short Term (COBRA Alternative) Health Insurance Quote.

Get a North Carolina Limited Benefit Health Insurance Quote.

Get a North Carolina Fitness Culture Proposal.

Get a North Carolina Group Health Insurance Quote.

North Carolina Department of Insurance - Commissioner: Wayne Goodwin

Location: Main Office - Dobbs Building, 430 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27603-5926

Mailing Address: 1201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1201

Telephone: 919-807-6900; Nationwide: 800-546-5664

Eastern Office: 252-514-4813 Mailing/Office Address:
1316 Unit D Commerce Drive, New Bern, NC 28562

Western Office: 828-251-6483 Mailing/Office Address:
537 College Street, Asheville, NC 28801

North Carolina State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP):

The North Carolina Health Insurance Pool (SCHIP) operates as NC Kid's Care, which could provide children access to affordable health insurance on a sliding premium scale for families earning up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

For more information on the North Carolina SCHIP programs, go to the NC SCHIP Webpage: NC Kid's Care

North Carolina Medicaid Health Insurance Program:

Medicaid is a health insurance program for low-income individuals and families who cannot afford health care costs. Medicaid serves low-income parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is a little different, depending on who you are and your situation.

North Carolina Medicaid is administered by the NC Department of Health & Human Services. For more information, go to the NC Medicaid Webpage.

North Carolina Medicare Health Insurance Program:

The federal Medicare program pays most medical expenses for people 65 or older or for individuals under 65 receiving Social Security disability benefits. However, Medicare does not pay all expenses. As a result, you may want to buy a Medicare Supplement policy that helps pay for certain expenses, including deductibles not covered by Medicare.

For more information on the North Carolina Medicare programs, go to the NC Medicare Webpage:

North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services: Lanier M. Cansler, Secretary

2001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2001; Telephone: 919-733-4534 / Fax: 919-715-4645.

For more information on the various North Carolina health and human resources programs, go to the NC Department of Health & Human Resources Services Webpage:

North Carolina State Health Insurance Information Programs:

For more information on the various North Carolina health insurance programs, go to the NC Consumer Health Services Webpage:

North Carolina State Insurable Risk Pool Program:

There is a new state program to cover high risk applicants to ensure North Carolina health insurance is made available to them.

In 2007, state legislators started the Inclusive Health program.  It’s also known as the North Carolina Health Insurance Risk-Pool and it’s intended to assist people who are struggling to get covered because the industry considers them high risk.  Michael Keough, the program’s executive director says that this is an alternative mechanism to provide affordable insurance to those high risk applicants. 

State risk pools have been in existence for decades. In the North Carolina Risk Pool, the health insurance premiums for Inclusive Health are capped at 175% of the standard risk rate.  In other words, it tops out at 75% more than what a healthy person would pay for a similar policy.  The average age of insured for this program is 50 years old.

For more information on the North Carolina Insurable Risk Pool program, go to the NC Insurable Risk Pool Webpage:

Summary of Uninsurable Risk Pool and Benefits: A state health insurance "risk pool" is a state-sponsored health insurance program that provides health insurance coverage to individuals who are unable to obtain health care due to a pre-existing medical condition. For many people with pre-existing conditions, state risk pools are the only available option.

There are currently 17 states that do not have an uninsurable risk pool: Arizona, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.

North Carolina State COBRA Facts:

COBRA is short for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985. This act requires that continuation of group insurance coverage be offered to covered persons who lose health or dental coverage due to a qualifying event as defined in the act.

A qualifying event allows insurance coverage or an extension of insurance coverage for an employee, spouse or dependent. Such events may be marriage, birth/adoption/placement, loss of group health plan coverage, divorce/legal separation, death of the covered employee, loss of dependent’s eligibility for coverage, etc.

For more information on whether North Carolina COBRA programs apply to you, go to the NC COBRA Continuation Coverage Webpage: