As North Carolina faces escalating health care expenses, a new initiative aims to alleviate the financial burden on its residents. Governor Josh Stein has signed Executive Order No. 39, forming the Health Care Affordability Commission to address these rising costs. This commission, composed of a diverse group of health care experts, will focus on formulating strategies to curb the growing expenses affecting North Carolinians.
The commission will be co-chaired by North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner and NC Secretary of Health and Human Services Dev Sangvai. Governor Stein remarked, “Health care costs are skyrocketing, and families are suffering.” He expressed gratitude to both co-chairs for their collaboration, emphasizing the importance of accessible and affordable health care.
Treasurer Brad Briner highlighted the critical issue: “All consumers of health care, which is literally everyone in our state, experience the same thing year after year. Costs continue to rise faster than the incomes we need to pay for them.” As the Chair of the State Health Plan, Briner oversees health care for over 750,000 individuals including teachers, state employees, and retirees. He expressed the necessity of providing a vision for a sustainable health care system.
NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai reinforced the need for affordable health care, stating, “Every North Carolinian deserves access to affordable, high-quality health care.” The commission’s mission is to find solutions that increase transparency and improve value to make health care affordable.
Health care costs in the U.S. have surged nearly 50% more than those in comparable countries, averaging close to $16,500 per person annually. Out-of-pocket expenses further strain individuals, adding another $1,500 on top of insurance premiums.
Governor Stein’s commitment to health care affordability was evident when he signed into law House Bill 696 in April, securing Medicaid funding for over 730,000 North Carolinians. He continues to advocate for sustainable funding for these crucial programs.
In a significant move, the state’s medical debt relief program recently eliminated over $6.5 billion in medical debt for more than 2.5 million residents. Communications from hospitals and nonprofit Undue Medical Debt have informed affected individuals of their cleared debts. An example of this letter is accessible on the DHHS website.
Efforts to enhance the quality of life in North Carolina continue with Governor Stein’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, which includes plans to fully fund the NC Medicaid Program, safeguard SNAP, and improve access to necessities like healthy food and clean water.
The Health Care Affordability Commission is tasked with exploring the following key areas to address rising costs:
- Enhancing transparency and data collection for better consumer service and policymaking guidance.
- Encouraging competition and increasing capacity in health care markets.
- Alleviating workforce shortages by expanding the supply of primary care providers.
- Increasing access to and use of primary care across the state.
- Investigating value-based care models.
- Seeking unique solutions to improve affordability in rural areas.
To view the full text of Executive Order No. 39, click here.
Commission Members
Voting Members
- Brad Briner, State Treasurer (co-chair)
- Devdutta Sangvai, M.D., Secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (co-chair)
- Senator Gale Adcock, Member, North Carolina Senate Standing Committee on Health Care
- Representative Allen Buansi, Member, North Carolina House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health
- Senator Benton Sawrey, Chair, North Carolina Senate Standing Committee on Health Care
- Representative Timothy Reeder, M.D., Chair, North Carolina House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health
- Kristin Walker, Director, Office of State Budget and Management
Advisory Members
- Josh Dobson, President & CEO, North Carolina Healthcare Association
- John Green, CEO, Iredell Health System
- Sandra Greene, Senior Research Fellow, UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research
- Tina Gordon, CEO, North Carolina Nurses Association
- Steve Keene, President, North Carolina Medical Society
- Rachel Keever, M.D., CEO, Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation
- Mark McClellan, M.D., Director, Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy
- Karen McLeod, President & CEO, Benchmarks
- Paige Ouimet, Professor, UNC Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
- Cristy Page, M.D., CEO, UNC Health and Dean, UNC School of Medicine
- Michelle Ries, Director, North Carolina Institute of Medicine
- Nicholas Riggs, Director, North Carolina Navigator Consortium
- Rob Robinson, President, North Carolina Association of Public Community Health Plans
- Gary Salamido, President and CEO, NC Chamber
- Dr. Tunde Sotunde, M.D., CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
- Laurie Stradley, CEO, Impact Health
- Dave Werry, President, Well
- Tom Wroth, M.D., President & CEO, Community Care of North Carolina
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