Atrium Health’s Response to NC State Treasurer Brad Briner’s Statement Following the Announcement of the Atrium Health Affordability Protection Program

Atrium Health's Response to NC State Treasurer Brad Briner's Statement Following the Announcement of the Atrium Health Affordability Protection Program

We designed the Atrium Health Affordability Protection Program to meet the needs of our patients in the North Carolina State Health Plan - teachers, first responders and state employees. We are disappointed with the characterization that this program was designed to harm the financial stability of the Plan. The Atrium Health Affordability Protection Program's sole purpose is to make healthcare more affordable for North Carolina's dedicated public servants and their families.

Atrium Health offered real solutions to support the financial strength of the Plan. In fact, starting in July, we submitted multiple proposals to match the same discounts to the Plan as other providers in the Preferred Tier. Those proposals were rejected each time by the NC State Health Plan. As a result, nearly 100,000 NC State Health Plan members at Atrium Health would have faced substantially higher out-of-pocket costs to continue seeing the physicians and care teams they know and trust. The Atrium Health Affordability Protection Program solves this problem by lowering members' costs, not increasing them. In essence, Atrium Health is absorbing these additional costs so that NC State Health Plan members don't have to.

Atrium Health's offer to match the Preferred Tier discounts and designation, saving the NC State Health Plan money and protecting affordability for patients, remains on the table - and we renew that offer today.

In a statement on September 14, the State Health Plan explicitly stated that Atrium Health is not the most expensive provider. However, the 2027 NC State Health Plan design - not Atrium Health's pricing - will charge members more to use Atrium Health providers and facilities. We have heard loud and clear from thousands of NC State Health Plan members that this decision was not the right one for themselves and their families, who depend on Atrium Health for their care. We share the concerns about the solvency of the NC State Health Plan, so it's unclear to us why the Plan rejected our offers to save money for taxpayers and members. We also disagree with the assertion that offering discounts to NC State Health Plan members is somehow unlawful.

Through the Atrium Health Affordability Protection Program, enrolled NC State Health Plan members now have the lowest copays and lowest cost-sharing for care received at Atrium Health care providers across North Carolina. Our focus remains where it has always been: protecting patient choice, preserving access to care, and making healthcare more affordable for those who serve North Carolina every day.