Health Care

In North Carolina we have a special way of life. However, due to increasing health care costs not everyone can enjoy all of life's riches. Senator Snow has worked to increase access to health care for everyone in his first term in the Senate and will continue to do so in his second term.

Mental Health
We continue to have great needs in terms of our response to our citizens who need mental health care. We made good progress this year by putting $95 Million dollars towards caring for people with this disease and putting $14.3 Million in the mental health trust fund. In Raleigh Senator Snow will work to help ensure responsible use of public health dollars so that we can spur innovation and give people back more control of their life without having to rely on institutions forever. We are obligated to ensure that these, our most vulnerable citizens, have our strong support.

General Care
When comparisons are made between Western North Carolina and the rest of North Carolina there are astounding differences. The most dramatic is health care – who has it and who does not. We must make sure that every citizen has access to quality healthcare. The Legislature did the right thing this year by supplying a tax credit to small business owners to help them with their health insurance costs. But we need to do more. We can do more by helping small business owners work together to pool their employees together which will help drive the cost of healthcare down and provide more coverage to everyone.

The benefits of Medicaid need to be open to everyone who needs it - including the nearly 20% of Western North Carolinians who do not have coverage. The difference Medicaid can make in one’s health is tremendous. However, we must utilize preventative care methods and expand our capacity to deal with everyday health problems with the foresight that will help ensure equal access to all.