MEDIA ADVISORY: Local Groups Outline Risks of Repealing the Affordable Care Act without a Replacement

NC Justice Center joins local organizations at press conference to stress the harm that a congressional ACA repeal-and-delay strategy would do to our state

WHAT: #CoverageMatters Healthcare Access Media Event to outline impact of ACA in North Carolina and risks of repealing the law without a replacement

WHERE: Mecklenburg County Health Department, 2845 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216

WHEN: Wednesday, December 14, 2016, 9:00 a.m.

WHO: North Carolina Justice Center, Legal Services of Southern Piedmont, and members of the public who have benefited from new coverage options

CHARLOTTE (December 12, 2016) — With the December 15 deadline for coverage starting January 1 – and Congress contemplating swift action to repeal the Affordable Care Act in January – the NC Justice Center will host a press conference in collaboration with Legal Services of Southern Piedmont and others at the Mecklenburg County Health Department to emphasize the importance of access to affordable health insurance coverage for North Carolinians now and in the future.

The groups will outline how North Carolinians continue to benefit under the law and encourage the public to enroll in a plan and pay their first premium by the December 15 deadline for coverage effective January 1. Consumers who have themselves benefited from coverage through the Marketplace will talk about how having coverage has changed their lives, and what it would mean if they were to lose it.

The NC Justice Center will discuss the dangers of repealing the health law without first passing a replacement plan that ensures continued access to affordable, quality health coverage. They will launch new tools to engage the public available online (www.keepNCcovered.org) in order to defend access to health coverage programs that provide access to life-saving care for millions of North Carolinians. The Justice Center will also call for “No Repeal without Replace,” encouraging the state’s congressional delegation to vote on a replacement before voting to repeal the ACA.

Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians count on the Affordable Care Act to get the health coverage that meets their needs and fits their budgets. Last year, over 613,000 North Carolinians enrolled in health coverage through the Marketplace, providing them with the peace of mind that comes with protecting themselves and their families. Mecklenburg County had the highest number of people who got covered in the state with nearly 80,000 enrollments.

Recent studies have found that repeal of the ACA would lead to more than 1 million North Carolinians becoming uninsured and would devastate the health care system.

“It’s critical that our elected officials recognize the need for continued access to coverage through programs like the Affordable Care Act,” said Rick Glazier, Executive Director of the NC Justice Center. “If Congress repeals the ACA – and even worse, decides to kick the can on a replacement plan – North Carolinians and people nationwide will suffer.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: To RSVP or for more details, contact Hannah Sharpe at 704.749.7486 and hannahs@lssp.org.

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About Legal Services of Southern Piedmont

Legal Services of Southern Piedmont’s mission is to ensure a full measure of justice for those in need, providing a wide range of civil legal assistance to eligible low-income persons in the Charlotte metropolitan area and west-central N.C. LSSP accomplishes its mission through a variety of legal advocacy strategies including individual advice and representation, community education and outreach, representation of groups, self-help remedies, collaboration with other agencies, community economic development, legislative and administrative advocacy, and impact litigation. www.lssp.org

About the North Carolina Justice Center

The North Carolina Justice Center is the state’s preeminent voice for economic, social and political justice. As a leading progressive research and advocacy organization, our mission is to eliminate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household in the state has access to the resources, services and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security.