by George W. Little
North Carolina has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Across the state, families are struggling financially, small businesses are trying to balance operating safely and generating revenue to remain open, and individuals have lost their jobs.
I was born and raised here, and it’s heartbreaking to watch the destruction from this deadly virus. It’s also heartbreaking to think of the repercussions of folks losing their jobs: Loss of income, loss of stability and, most importantly, loss of employee-sponsored health coverage.
North Carolina’s job losses have reached seven figures, an abrupt and shocking downturn that has caused many families to lose their employer-provided health coverage and leaving them with limited funds to invest in alternatives.
Although I know our elected leaders in Washington are doing everything possible to help achieve a rapid recovery, there simply are not enough jobs right now for hard-working North Carolinians who want and need health benefits. In such an unprecedented situation, I believe Congress should pass legislation designed specifically to help families obtain or keep the health coverage they rely on, so they can access health care without being financially devastated.
As an advocate of community colleges, I am especially interested in how such measures would help those who attend these important, local institutions. Community colleges serve a large proportion of low-income students, many of whom are the first in their family to pursue higher education.
At a time when nearly 40% of households making $40,000 per year or less have been affected by layoffs and furloughs, the economic hardships of the coronavirus are hitting community college students of all ages. There are also signs that the virus itself may also be disproportionately harming low-income people, including those working front-line customer service jobs at essential businesses, making the need for health coverage all the more apparent.
People striving to better themselves with career-focused education deserve to do so with the protection of health coverage. This is a moral imperative in today’s environment, but it is also an economic one.
If Congress takes steps to help families stay physically well and financially stable enough to invest in community-college courses, we will help ensure that the nation has the health care workers, welders, chefs, computer professionals, law-enforcement personnel and other skilled workers our economy needs.
For those who have lost their jobs, it’s likely they’ve also lost their health care coverage. In the middle of a pandemic, not having health coverage is unacceptable. Alternatives, such as COBRA, are expensive and with no income, unlikely that a family will participate.
Legislators must explore other options for continued coverage in employee-sponsored health plans during this crisis. We cannot leave our neighbors without health coverage, and it’s up to my fellow Republicans to come up with a sensible option.
Education is about the future, and I encourage U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis to work with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to help make it a brighter one by incorporating health coverage into the Senate’s goals for COVID-19 relief. Any means to help families keep their employer-provided plan or to afford new coverage during this crisis is worthy of serious and urgent consideration.
George Little is a former President of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees and a past Republican candidate for governor. He lives in Southern Pines.