News

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State Health Plan September 18, 2026

State Health Plan adds rural Atrium providers to Access tier

The State Health Plan and Atrium Health have reached an agreement adding nine rural Atrium hospitals — including two in Cleveland County (Shelby and Kings Mountain) — plus three children’s hospitals to the Plan’s lower-cost “Access” tier starting in 2027. That avoids a steep cost jump for members who rely on them. The deal follows […]

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September 4, 2026

WakeMed/Atrium vote could come next week

Wake County Commissioners could vote on their portion of the proposed WakeMed-Atrium merger as soon as Tuesday, Sept. 8, capping nearly four months of public debate. WakeMed responded to Gov. Josh Stein’s Aug. 17 letter, claiming that the hospital needs to merge with Atrium to keep up with expected growing demand in the Triangle area. […]

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State Health Plan August 28, 2026

Gov. Stein calls for ‘close scrutiny’ on WakeMed-Atrium merger

This week’s on The SEANC View Podcast, we continue to dig into the proposed merger of WakeMed and Atrium Health. Gov. Josh Stein’s office sent WakeMed a pointed letter this month saying the deal “deserves close scrutiny and careful consideration.” We’re glad to see the Governor weigh in — but for members who’ve been sounding […]

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August 21, 2026

Big changes coming to the state’s HR law. Here’s what it means for you.

For the first time since the 1960s, North Carolina has rewritten the law governing how state government hires, pays, and manages its workforce. SEANC worked hard to make sure it came out favorable to employees. Gov. Josh Stein signed Senate Bill 1041, the Public Workforce Modernization Act, into law on July 6, creating a new […]

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August 14, 2026

WakeMed-Atrium merger will cost you money. Make your voices heard!

Three months ago, SEANC members and community leaders forced Wake County commissioners to pump the brakes on the proposed Atrium Health takeover of WakeMed. What happened in the months since? Atrium and WakeMed executives briefed small groups of commissioners in private — deliberately keeping the groups to three at a time to avoid North Carolina’s […]

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August 12, 2026

NC not the only health plan dealing with outrageous hospital costs

Our State Health Plan isn’t the only one dealing with the pressures of outrageous hospital costs. IDAHO chose to drop an East Idaho hospital, Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, from its network rather than accept the hospital owners’ terms for a reimbursement rate increase, which would have increased premiums for all 65,000 members by 7%. […]

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August 10, 2026

Pension system added $17 billion last year, so where are the COLAs?

North Carolina’s pension fund had a strong year. The fund earned an estimated $17 billion and returned 12.4% for the year ending June 30, State Treasurer Brad Briner’s investment team told trustees at last week’s Board of Trustees meeting. Public equities drove much of the gain, up nearly 22% for the year. The fund’s one-year […]

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July 31, 2026

State Health Plan leaders meet with Atrium, but no deal reached

With changes to the State Health Plan still making headlines, Plan leaders — including State Treasurer Brad Briner — met with Atrium Health leadership this week in Raleigh. Very little information was released about the meeting, only that both sides called it “constructive” and said they’re committed to finding a path forward for the Plan […]

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