Digital Scholarship and Initiatives

Robeson County in eastern North Carolina had the highest percentage of enrollments under the Affordable Care Act, with half the county's eligible residents signing up for health insurance.

An analysis by UNC-Chapel Hill's NC Rural Health Research Program shows that generally between a quarter and a third of eligible residents enrolled in many counties, with a range between 9 percent and 42 percent statewide. In Robeson County, which has one of the highest poverty and crime rates in the state, 49.9 percent selected a plan, with an estimated 7,000 enrolling out of 13,000 eligible. Robeson was heavily targeted by trained “navigators” and other outreach and enrollment efforts by advocacy groups and social service organizations.

To qualify as eligible for subsidized health insurance, a resident must meet specific criteria, such as legal residence and a household income between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level.