Charlotte non-profit helps after hundreds of thousands lose affordable health coverage

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians are logging into the ACA Marketplace and seeing much higher premiums, with many making the tough choice to go without coverage as January 1 approaches.

The premium increases are forcing families into a coverage gap, turning to nonprofits like NC MedAssist when they have nowhere else to turn for essential medications.

When Natasha Kelly first walked into NC MedAssist, she wasn’t a patient — she was a volunteer helping others pick up the medicines they needed. She never imagined one day she’d be shopping these same shelves for her own family.

“NC MedAssist helps me and my family by providing medication we can use month to month whether it be vitamins or for high blood pressure medications that we can use,” Kelly said. “An