North Carolina Takes Aim at Health Care Costs in New Commission Meeting
North Carolina is making strides to address the rising costs of health care with a new initiative. The Health Care Affordability Commission, led by NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai and State Treasurer Brad Briner, will convene for its inaugural meeting on Tuesday, July 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The session is open to the public and will be broadcast live on the NCDHHS YouTube page.
Governor Stein has emphasized the importance of this commission as part of his broader effort to make health care more affordable across the state. The commission’s mission is to explore viable solutions to the increasing costs of health services.
“Across North Carolina, families make difficult decisions every day about insurance, prescription drugs, medical bills, and whether they can afford to seek care when they need it,” stated Dev Sangvai, Health and Human Services Secretary. “The commission’s goal is to understand what is driving cost and identifying ways to make health care more affordable, accessible, and effective for every North Carolinian.”
Treasurer Brad Briner echoed these sentiments, asserting, “We’ve been discussing health care affordability for decades, with little to no significant improvements. That has to change. The time for partisanship and pointing fingers needs to be done. We must work together to find meaningful recommendations on how to right this ship.”
Key Details of the Meeting
Event: Meeting of Governor Josh Stein’s Health Care Affordability Commission
Chairs:
– Dev Sangvai, Secretary, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
– Brad Briner, Treasurer, State of North Carolina
Date and Time:
July 21, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location:
In-Person: North Carolina Department of Administration, 325 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27603
For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will be available online via a YouTube live stream.
Media Contacts:
Credentialed media wishing to attend should RSVP to news@dhhs.nc.gov or Loretta.Boniti@nctreasurer.gov.
Commission Members
Voting Members:
– Dev Sangvai, Secretary, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
– Brad Briner, Treasurer, State of North Carolina
– Gale Adcock, Member, N.C. Senate
– Allen Buansi, Member, N.C. House of Representatives
– Benton Sawrey, Member, N.C. Senate
– Timothy Reeder, M.D., Member, N.C. House of Representatives
– Kristin Walker, Director, Office of State Budget and Management
Advisory Members:
– Josh Dobson, President and CEO, North Carolina Healthcare Association
– John Green, CEO, Iredell Health System
– Sandra Greene, DrPH, Professor of the Practice, Gillings School of Global Public Health
– 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 Institute for Health Policy
– Karen McLeod, President and CEO, Benchmarks
– Paige Ouimet, Ph.D., 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
– Karen L. Smith, M.D., Family Medicine Practice of Karen L. Smith
– Tunde Sotunde, M.D., CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
– Laurie Stradley, DrPH, CEO, Impact Health
– Dave Werry, President, Well
– Tom Wroth, M.D., President and CEO, Community Care of North Carolina
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