This isn’t just a Wake County issue. Every State Health Plan member statewide has a stake in this vote. State Health Plan leaders say the merger could raise premiums by up to $130 a year for every member on the plan — active employees and retirees alike, whether you live in Raleigh or Murphy or Manteo. That’s because Atrium charges significantly more than WakeMed for the same care, and once WakeMed starts billing at Atrium’s rates, those costs get spread across the entire statewide plan.
WakeMed itself has acknowledged that Atrium’s promised $2 billion “investment” isn’t new money from Atrium — it would come first from WakeMed’s own revenue and debt, with Atrium only covering what’s left over. And WakeMed’s own Certificate of Need filings with the state say its expansion plans don’t depend on this merger at all.
SEANC is joining Patients United for a rally before Monday’s meeting to tell commissioners to stand up for patients and reject this deal. Please come out and make your voices heard! If you can’t make it, please email the commissioners to tell them you can’t afford higher premiums.
Patients United Executive Director Jamila Headley and N.C. Organizing Director Rev. Rob Stephens joined this week’s episode of The SEANC View Podcast to discuss the merger and what’s at stake. Click below to listen.
