Gov. Perdue did not take my advice and you and I will pay the price.
Instead of rejecting another unfunded federal program, North Carolina will expand its high risk insurance pool. This pool, called Inclusive Health, helps those with pre-existing conditions purchase insurance at rates 50% higher than the average person. The new health care law lowers the premium to patients to the same rate as the average person, which means the insurance companies need more money from the government to cover their costs.
The federal government will provide cash to cover this amount. That money was supposed to subsidize premiums for people with pre-existing conditions until the health insurance exchanges start in 2014, but federal officials admit there is only enough money to last until 2012. So the state will be back on its own for two years, paying higher subsidies than if it had kept its current program unchanged and let the federal government pick up the rest.
