Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

A recent study showed that one-third of Robeson County women that are of child-bearing age do not have health insurance. That number is much larger than the one-fifth of total North Carolina women between the ages of 19 and 44 that are not insured.

Uninsured women across the world are more likely to have health issues go untreated that can increase the risk of birth complications. The study found that, in 2014, 12.1 percent of Robeson County babies were born at a low birthweight and 14.5 percent were born premature. On top of that, in 2013, the infant mortality rate in Robeson County was twice the statewide rate.

One of the main reasons for the large number of women that are uninsured in the county is that they fall in the “coverage gap.” This is a term to describe when one earns too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to pay for private insurance. One way to help is to close the state health insurance gap, which the report states will provide 175,000 reproductive-aged women with insurance.