SEANC's officers and lobbying team were on hand Wednesday as legislators were sworn in on Opening Day at the North Carolina General Assembly. The day was largely ceremonial, and lawmakers recessed with plans to return on Jan. 28.

The week wasn't entirely without news for state employees and retirees. New State Treasurer Brad Briner wasted little time calling for a State Health Plan premium increase in his first full week in office.

Briner told the Carolina Public Press on Monday that "uncomfortable things" are necessary as the Plan tackles an expected deficit that is estimated to grow to $1.4 billion by 2027. "The obvious one is premiums," he said. "Those have been held flat or a decade, and I commend Treasurer Folwell for focusing on that, but it’s unfortunately time that we keep up with inflation.”

Later in the week, he told the News & Observer that premiums would need to increase by at least $20 per month.

SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins responded that the State Health Plan’s funding challenges are self-inflicted, attributing the problems to a lack of transparency in health care contracts and to some politicians’ failure to take action.

Without pricing transparency, “to think you should go to the employees and ask them for anything is outrageous,” she said.

“The State Health Plan would be perpetuating everything that’s wrong with American health care. Keep the people in the dark. Tell them health care is going up, but you can’t tell them exactly why, and they have to pay for it as the working people,” she said.

The State Health Plan Board of Trustees will consider recommending a premiums increase at its Feb. 7 meeting.

In this week's episode of the SEANC View Podcast, the SEANC team discusses the intricacies of healthcare in North Carolina, after Treasurer Brad Briner announced this week his intentions to raise premiums on the 740,000-plus members of the plan.

The team explores the implications of potential premium hikes and how healthcare costs impact all residents of North Carolina. We question the transparency of healthcare provider contracts and discuss the financial burdens placed on families due to rising premiums and deductibles.

Listen to The SEANC View Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, or Podbean.