Skip Navigation
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

States-EERP

North Carolina – Early Retiree Reinsurance Program

Rising health care costs have made it difficult for employers to provide quality, affordable health insurance for workers and retirees while also remaining competitive in the global marketplace. The percentage of large firms providing workers with retiree health coverage has dropped from 66 percent in 1988 to 29 percent in 2009.1 Health insurance premiums for older Americans are over four times more expensive than they are for young adults,2 and the deductible these enrollees pay is, on average, almost four times that for a typical employer-sponsored insurance plan.3

The Affordable Care Act creates a new program called the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program to help address this challenge that employers and older employees are facing.  The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program provides $5 billion in financial assistance to employers and unions to help them maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare.

Businesses, other employers, and unions that are accepted into the program will receive reimbursement for medical claims for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses, and dependents. Savings can be used to reduce employer health care costs, provide premium relief to workers and families, or both. Applicants who are approved into the program receive reinsurance for the claims of high-cost retirees and their families (80 percent of the costs from $15,000 to $90,000). The program ends on January 1, 2014 when State health insurance Exchanges are up and running.

HHS has approved the following sponsors from North Carolina. More applications are being approved each day.

  • Alamance County
  • Alex Lee, Inc.
  • Alexander County
  • American Kennel Club
  • Arrowood Indemnity Company
  • Bank of America Corporation
  • BB&T Corporation
  • Belk Stores Services, Inc.
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
  • Board of TTEE of Teachers & State Empl Comp Major Med Plan Trust
  • Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc.
  • Boice-Willis Clinic, P.A.
  • Brunswick County
  • Cape Fear Public Utility Authority
  • Catawba County
  • Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company
  • Chatham County
  • City of Albemarle
  • City Of Asheboro*
  • City of Asheville*
  • City of Burlington
  • City of Charlotte
  • City of Durham*
  • City of Eden
  • City of Fayetteville
  • City of Gastonia
  • City of Graham
  • City of Greensboro
  • City of Greenville
  • City of Hickory
  • City of High Point, North Carolina
  • City of Lenoir
  • City of Monroe
  • City of Morganton
  • City of New Bern*
  • City of Reidsville
  • City of Rocky Mount
  • City of Salisbury
  • City of Sanford*
  • City of Wilmington
  • City of Winston-Salem
  • Clariant Corporation
  • Coats & Clark Inc
  • Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated
  • CommScope, Inc.
  • COUNTY OF BUNCOMBE
  • County of Burke
  • County of Cabarrus
  • County of Dare
  • County of Durham
  • County of Guilford
  • County of Henderson
  • County of Iredell
  • County of Pitt
  • County of Robeson Office Of Treasurer
  • County of Stanly
  • County of Surry
  • Craven County
  • CROSSROADS BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE
  • Cumberland County
  • DAK AMERICAS LLC
  • Davidson College
  • Davidson County
  • Duke Energy Corporation
  • Duke University
  • Fayetteville Publishing Company
  • Forsyth County
  • French Broad Electric Membership Corporation
  • Gaston County Government
  • Goodrich Corporation Group Benefits and Insurance Program
  • Granville County
  • Greensboro Housing Authority
  • Greenville Utilities Commission
  • Hanesbrands Inc.
  • Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company
  • Johnston County Government*
  • Lee County Health Plan
  • Lorillard Tobacco Company
  • Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation
  • Mack Trucks, Inc.
  • McDowell County*
  • Mecklenburg County Government
  • Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County
  • Moore County
  • Municipal Insurance Trust of North Carolina
  • NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc.
  • Nash Hospitals, Inc
  • North Carolina Bankers Association Health Benefit Trust
  • North Carolina Conference of the UMC
  • North Carolina Medical Society Employee Benefit Trust
  • Novant Health, Inc
  • Onslow County Government
  • Orange County
  • Orthopaedics East, INC
  • Pender County Government
  • Pepsi Bottling Ventures, LLC
  • Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Hickory, NC, Inc.
  • Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc.
  • Progress Energy, Inc.
  • Randolph Electric Membership Corporation
  • Reichhold, Inc.
  • Research Triangle Institute
  • Rexam Inc.
  • Richmond County Government
  • SGL Carbon, LLC
  • State Chartered Credit Unions in State Employees' Credit Union
  • Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc.
  • Telamon Corporation
  • Town of Carrboro
  • Town of Cary
  • Town of Chapel Hill
  • Town of Kernersville
  • Town of Morrisville
  • TOWN OF WILKESBORO
  • Triad Municipal Alcoholic Beverage Control Board
  • University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, Inc
  • Volvo Construction Equipment North America, Inc.
  • Volvo Group North America, LLC
  • Wake County Government
  • Wake Forest University
  • Wake Forest University Health Sciences
  • Wayne Memorial Hospital

*New program participants as of May 24, 2011.  List to be updated monthly.

[1] Kaiser / HRET. Employer Health Benefits: 2009 Survey.
[2] Center for Policy and Research. Individual Health Insurance 2009.
[3] Kaiser Family Foundation. 2010. Survey of People Who Purchase Their Own Insurance.

Back to Map