Healthier United cheers North Carolina lawmakers for restoring some funding for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot in their new state budget.

The Healthy Opportunities Pilot (HOP) is a common-sense investment in people’s health across North Carolina, especially in rural areas.

The new state budget passing today allocates $9 million in state funding this year, paired with $16 million in federal Medicaid dollars (see pages 152 and 158) to connect people with healthy food, safer housing (including mold remediation that improves the air they breathe) and transportation to medical appointments. These aren’t traditionally considered “health care," but they shape health. Overall, social determinants of health drive an estimated 80% of a person’s health outcomes.

The return on investment is real, and it's growing. One study found HOP lowered health care costs by $1,000 per participant per year. A more recent study found even greater savings - $1,968 per participant per year. 

"We fought to restore funding for HOP because it addresses something obvious: the conditions people live in shape their health, and improving those conditions improves their health," said Kate Stigberg, Chief of Staff at Healthier United. "This funding is temporary, and not enough to power the program to its full potential, but this is an excellent start to delivering health and value for North Carolina taxpayers.”

Legislative budget writers and key health leaders made a great case for HOP this week, and we appreciate their work to partially restore the program:

"The data are clear: when we address the real-life challenges that affect health, we achieve better outcomes and reduce costs. The Health Opportunities Program is delivering measurable results for North Carolina residents " - Senator Ralph Hise (R - District 47)

"This budget investment ensures North Carolina can continue supporting the Health Opportunities Program in a fiscally responsible way, helping address the underlying factors that improve health outcomes, strengthen communities, and make better use of taxpayer dollars" - Representative Donny Lambeth (R- District 75)

“The Health Opportunities Program is proving that investing in people’s basic needs - like healthy food, safe housing, and reliable transportation - can improve health outcomes while making our healthcare system more effective. This budget investment reflects our commitment to building healthier communities across North Carolina” - Senator Gale Adcock (D - District 16)

New NC polling on affordability, healthcare, civility, Senate race

Healthier United hosted a Zoom call to discuss new North Carolina polling results. Morgan Jackson and Paul Shumaker, a bipartisan team that worked together on (link to results), and discussed their findings during a virtual session. 

"One of the more interesting surveys I have done in North Carolina,” Shumaker said. “Insightful data.”

Poll topics:

• Health care affordability

• Vaccines

• Cooper v. Whatley

• How many voters have “found myself withholding my political opinions for fear of upsetting a friend, family member, or co-worker.”

• How many voters “believe that loyalty to a political party has become more important for the people we elect than focusing on the issues that matter.”

• Support for Medicaid

• Support for federal ACA subsidies

• Mental health and young people

Healthier United is a new-to-NC group working to improve civic discourse, particularly around health policy.. The organization hosted a “Disagree Healthier” debate Tuesday evening (video) in Raleigh featuring Republican state Rep. Grant Campbell and Democratic state Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed.

For more information or to schedule an interview contact Travis Fain - travis@faincommunications.com / 919.630.9296

NC’s Kody Kinsley joins board at Healthier United

Former DHHS Secretary has made a career of building bridges on healthcare policy, exactly what Healthier United works to do

Healthier United, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to improve public health on behalf of everyday Americans, is proud to announce that former North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kody Kinsley has joined the board of its 501(c)(3) arm.

“I want to improve health by building strong, cross-partisan coalitions that can create real change,” said Kinsley. “Healthier United shares that goal, and that’s why I’m joining the team.” 

Healthier United recently expanded its work to North Carolina, beginning with the “Disagree Healthier” initiative, aimed at improving the quality of our political dialogue. Founded 12 years ago as Healthier Colorado, the organization recently launched its new national vehicle, Healthier United, to bring its approach to states across the country. 

“What makes Kody's record remarkable is not just the scale of what he's accomplished, but the way he built bridges to get it done,” said Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier United. “He’s a perfect fit for us, and his insight will be valuable in North Carolina and beyond.”

Kinsley served as North Carolina’s DHHS secretary from 2022 to early 2025. He worked with a Democratic governor and a Republican-controlled General Assembly to expand Medicaid - which had been debated for more than a decade in North Carolina - then oversaw implementation as the program quickly enrolled and provided health coverage for more than 600,000 North Carolinians. Kinsley also helped broker a 2024 deal with the state’s hospitals to erase more than $6.5 billion in medical debt for 2.5 million North Carolinians.

“Growing up without health insurance in North Carolina, I learned early that health is an economic consideration for a lot of families and that the system wasn't really built around them,” Kinsley said. “What I've seen throughout my career in Washington and in Raleigh is that the best policy lives or dies by whether real people actually have a voice in shaping it. That's what Healthier United is trying to fix, and that's why I'm glad to be a part of it."

Healthier United has hit the ground running in North Carolina with their “Disagree Healthier” initiative, which has brought them across the state to engage in on-camera interviews with everyday North Carolinians, which are shared online. In these interactions, they discuss the state of our political dialogue as well as health challenges facing the state. The group will also be releasing a statewide poll on these topics at the end of the month, in addition to hosting a March 24 debate in Raleigh featuring Republican state Rep. Grant Campbell and Democratic state Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed.

For more information or to schedule an interview contact Travis Fain - travis@faincommunications.com / 919.630.9296

Healthier United Announces First Public Initiative, Disagree Healthier

Initiative Seeks to Improve How We Debate Critical Health Issues Facing Our Country

DENVER, CO - Today, Healthier United announced its first public initiative, Disagree Healthier. Disagree Healthier brings people together to improve how we debate health issues for the sake of our well-being, both as individuals and as a democracy. Inspired by the Disagree Better initiative launched by the National Governors Association, Disagree Healthier seeks to facilitate dialogue that welcomes disagreement without contempt, promotes curiosity, and stays rooted in our shared humanity.

The Disagree Healthier initiative includes four components:

1. Hosting events around the country with leaders who are willing to disagree healthier about key health issues facing Americans

2. Sharing face-to-face conversations with people in communities across America about what they want to see in the political discourse and in our country’s health policy

3. Conducting social scientific polling on those same topics and sharing the results publicly to inform and shape how we proceed as a democracy

4. Sharing tips on how to disagree healthier, including those drawn from the toolkit issued by Disagree Better

“The inability to have productive debate is causing real harm to our individual well-being and the health of our democracy,” said Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier United. “An overwhelming majority of Americans say they want our political discourse to improve and are concerned about our democracy’s ability to address our most pressing issues. Our goal with Disagree Healthier is to model a healthier way to communicate through disagreement, which will ultimately lead to a stronger social fabric and better health policy outcomes.”

Upcoming Disagree Healthier events in Denver, CO, and Raleigh, NC, will be announced soon.

Healthier Colorado Launches New National Organization, Healthier United

Healthier United Builds On Colorado Success to Advance Public Health Across the United States

DENVER, CO - Today, Healthier Colorado announced the official launch of a new national umbrella organization, Healthier United. Building on more than a decade of success in Colorado, Healthier United brings the mission and impact of Healthier Colorado to other states to advance public health across the country. Healthier United leads campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels that can include legislative lobbying, political activity, and voter mobilization.

Healthier Colorado and future state-specific organizations will operate under the Healthier United umbrella. As of January 2026, Healthier United has one Chapter State (Colorado) and is engaging in mission-driven work in three Project States (Louisiana, North Carolina, and Michigan).

Jake Williams, who has led Healthier Colorado since its founding 12 years ago, will serve as CEO of Healthier United and its family of complementary organizations.

"The capacity we have to improve public policy to support the health of Americans should not be restricted to Colorado," said Williams. "Launching Healthier United enables us to bring our unique approach and abilities across the country."

Since 2014, Healthier Colorado has secured major public health policy wins in Colorado including universal access to preschool, significant reductions in consumer health care costs, improving access to mental health support, elevating childhood immunization rates, and reducing youth use of nicotine. The organization has also successfully influenced hundreds of candidate elections and supported dozens of victorious ballot measures.

Healthier United, a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit, will operate in tandem with The Healthier United Fund, a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes people, performs research, builds coalitions, and educates the public and key decision makers.

Healthier United will announce its first public initiative next week.