Stein creates health care affordability commission

The new commission will study health care costs, transparency, competition, workforce shortages, primary care access and rural affordability.

RALEIGH — Gov. Josh Stein has established a new Health Care Affordability Commission charged with developing recommendations to address rising health care costs across North Carolina.

Stein announced the commission Tuesday, June 30, and signed Executive Order No. 39 creating the panel. The commission will be co-chaired by State Treasurer Brad Briner and N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. According to the governor’s office, the commission will include health care providers, hospitals, insurers, researchers, patient advocates and other stakeholders.

The executive order directs the commission to examine health care cost drivers and develop recommendations in several areas, including transparency, data collection, competition in health care markets, provider workforce shortages, primary care access, value-based care models and rural affordability.

The governor’s office said health care spending in the United States has increased nearly 50 percent more than in comparable peer countries and now averages nearly $16,500 per person each year. Individuals pay more than $1,500 in out-of-pocket costs on average, in addition to health insurance premiums, according to the release.

The commission’s leadership also connects the issue to state government’s role as a major health care purchaser. Briner chairs the State Health Plan, which provides health coverage for more than 750,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and family members.

The commission includes voting members from the executive branch and General Assembly, including legislative health care committee leaders and the director of the Office of State Budget and Management. Advisory members include representatives from the North Carolina Healthcare Association, North Carolina Medical Society, North Carolina Nurses Association, NC Chamber, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, UNC Health, Community Care of North Carolina and other health policy and provider organizations.

The action comes as state officials continue to debate health care funding, Medicaid and affordability. The governor’s office noted that Stein signed House Bill 696 in April to fully fund Medicaid and protect coverage for more than 730,000 North Carolinians covered through Medicaid expansion.

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.