Gov. Josh Stein has set up a new front in the fight over what North Carolinians pay at the doctor’s office, signing Executive Order No. 39 on June 30 to create a Health Care Affordability Commission aimed squarely at rising medical costs. The panel pulls together hospital and insurer leaders, providers, researchers and patient advocates, and is co‑chaired by State Treasurer Brad Briner and NCDHHS Secretary Dev Sangvai. The order tasks the group with delivering near‑term, concrete ideas to cut premiums and out‑of‑pocket costs while shoring up access to care in rural communities.
What the commission will do
According to a release from the Governor's Office, Executive Order No. 39 directs the commission to tackle several fronts at once. Members are asked to boost price transparency, promote competition, address workforce shortages, expand access to primary care, and explore value‑based payment models. The group is also charged with looking at affordability strategies tailored to rural communities. The release frames this agenda as a mix of quick, practical fixes and deeper structural reforms.
What leaders are saying
“All consumers of health care, which is literally everyone in our state, experience the same thing year after year. Costs continue to rise faster than the incomes we need to pay for them,” Treasurer Brad Briner said, as reported by WRAL. He warned that the State Health Plan, which covers more than 750,000 teachers, state employees, retirees and families, faces mounting pressure without policy changes.
Why the push now
The order lands after a run of efforts aimed at easing financial strain on patients and providers. The state’s Medical Debt Relief Program has already wiped out more than $6.5 billion in medical debt for roughly 2.5 million people, according to NCDHHS. And in April, Stein signed House Bill 696 to bolster Medicaid funding ahead of additional reforms, as noted by WUNC.
Who’s on the commission
Voting members include state officials and lawmakers such as Sen. Gale Adcock, Rep. Allen Buansi, Sen. Benton Sawrey, Rep. Tim Reeder and Office of State Budget and Management Director Kristin Walker. Advisory seats are reserved for hospital, insurer and academic leaders. Coverage lists advisory members including Mark McClellan of Duke Margolis, Tunde Sotunde of Blue Cross NC and Tom Wroth of Community Care of North Carolina, among others, per WRAL.
The order instructs the commission to deliver timely, concrete recommendations that state agencies or the General Assembly can act on, and the Governor's Office describes the work as both a set of short‑term solutions and a roadmap for longer‑term reform. In the coming months, members plan to gather data and hear from communities across North Carolina before sending their proposals to the governor.
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