On CNN's "State of the Union," host and chief national correspondent John King goes outside the Beltway to report on the issues affecting communities across the country. This week, King traveled to North Carolina to look at the financial crisis' impact on health care. Doug Pegram, of North Carolina, is one of many unemployed Americans struggling with medical bills. WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (CNN) -- For Doug Pegram, it is on the one hand simple math: His medical bills cost roughly $300 a month and a health insurance policy would cost $550. "Two or three hundred dollars goes a long way," Pegram said. Especially when you are living on unemployment benefits.
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As jobless rate rises, so does the number of people without health insurance
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North Carolina patient pays twice as much for medication than when he was insured
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Dentist says economy causes some patients to consider treatment a luxury
The jobless rate in the @placeholder metropolitan area was 7.6 percent in December 2008, up from 4.4 percent one year earlier.