The major health care bills moving through Congress would require nearly all Americans to have health insurance. But as lawmakers struggle to achieve the goal of universal coverage, a critical question is whether the plans will be affordable to those who are currently uninsured.
All the bills offer some kind of assistance to lower-income people who do not get health benefits through the workplace. But lawmakers and consumer groups say insurance could still be out of reach for many families with modest incomes who receive small subsidies or none at all. (NYT)
Those questions and others are being debated across North Carolina through television commercials, rallies and a visit this week from President Barack Obama, who is appearing at a town hall meeting Wednesday in the Broughton High School gym.
Alhough the health-care debate is national, it is particularly loud in North Carolina because of the concentration of moderate Democrats that both sides see as potentially persuadable, particularly freshman Sen. Kay Hagan.
The Tar Heel State is also the home of some major players in the health-care industry, including GlaxoSmithKline, one of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies.
Moreover, North Carolina is now seen as one of the nation's newest battleground states, having gone for Obama last November after voting Republican in the previous seven elections. (N&O)
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