The State Health Plan Board of Trustees voted on Friday to allow salary-based premiums, the first step toward increasing current premiums. The board will likely consider a formal proposal on changes at its May or August meeting.

SEANC's Ardis Watkins was granted time to speak at the meeting before the vote. She told the board it should look for cost savings through transparency before pursuing increases for employees who can't afford them.

"Y'all have got to look to providers," she told the board. "You've got to stop looking to the lowest-paid working people to solve all the problems."

North Carolina ranks highest in healthcare service costs yet doesn't boast similarly high outcomes. This week's episode of the SEANC View Podcast explores the cause of this and strategies to bring costs down, including increased transparency.

We also discuss ongoing concerns over safety in North Carolina's prisons, exacerbated by understaffing. With firsthand accounts from First Vice President Wendell Powell and Prison Safety Committee Chairwoman Deborah Harney, the discussion reflects on past incidents and legislative efforts aimed at reform.