State health care affordability commission holds first meeting
The commission is tasked with developing recommendations aimed at lowering health care costs in North Carolina.
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s Health Care Affordability Commission is scheduled to hold its first meeting Tuesday as state officials look for recommendations to address rising health care costs.
The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the North Carolina Department of Administration in Raleigh, with a virtual option available through NCDHHS, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The commission is part of Gov. Josh Stein’s health care affordability effort and is intended to develop “timely, concrete solutions” to rein in health care costs, according to NCDHHS.
N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai and State Treasurer Brad Briner are co-chairing the commission. The voting members listed by NCDHHS include state lawmakers, state budget officials and health care leaders. Advisory members include representatives from hospitals, insurers, medical organizations, business groups, public health organizations and health policy institutions.
The meeting comes as health care affordability remains a major state budget, workforce and household issue. NCDHHS said the commission is focused on costs tied to insurance, prescription drugs, medical bills and access to care.
“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,” Sangvai said in the release.
Briner said in the same release that the state needs “meaningful recommendations” on health care affordability.
The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live, according to NCDHHS.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
