by Jane Winik Sartwell, Carolina Public Press April 29, 2025
The State Health Plan is deeply in debt. To get out of the red, the 750,000 employees who receive coverage will experience something many were hoping to avoid: the first significant premium increase in nearly a decade.
It’s part of the strategy from Brad Briner, North Carolina’s treasurer, to pay off a $507 million shortfall the State Health Plan has accrued due to dramatic increases in the cost of health coverage — a deficit which is projected to grow to $1.4 billion by 2027.
State employees will face a minimum $20 increase in monthly premiums for their health insurance starting in 2026. Those premiums could reach an additional $110 per month. Deductibles and co-pays will increase as well.
The premium hike will affect even the lowest-paid state employees at a time when many North Carolina agencies face staffing shortages and recruitment challenges.
It all comes after a potential problem was foreshadowed last year by former Treasurer Dale Folwell, who said the State Health Plan — which covers about 8% of North Carolina residents who have medical coverage — may be unable to stay afloat by fall 2026 due to the aforementioned rising costs in care. North Carolina ranks No. 1 in health care costs by state and has the most expensive health care in the nation, according to Forbes.
But Briner doesn’t intend to let the State Health Plan drown in debt.
Paying the price
Folwell’s solution was to have the General Assembly open its wallet.
However, Briner’s plan requires state employees to open theirs as well.
The base premium for state employees will rise from $25 to $45 monthly next year. Increases will reach $110 for the highest-paid employees. Deductibles will increase anywhere from $3,000 to $9,000. Co-pays will rise between $20 and $45 per visit.
All together, it will bring $100 million back into the plan, Briner said.
But he isn’t stopping there. He asked for another $100 million from the legislature, and lawmakers delivered in this year’s proposed Senate budget.
State Treasurer Brad Briner is faced with a $507 million deficit in the State Health Plan due to dramatic increases in the cost of medical coverage. Office of the State Treasurer / Provided
“The Senate gave us everything we hoped they would give us, and we are really, really appreciative that they found the money in a year that everybody knows is really tight,” Briner told Carolina Public Press. “Their number one priority is not the State Health Plan right now. It’s not the State Pension Plan. It is rebuilding Western North Carolina, and we certainly understand that.”
The $100 million could be a boon — provided the House approves the budget and it crosses Gov. Josh Stein’s desk in one piece.
Additionally, $25 million of it is earmarked to bring weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro back into the plan.
In 2023, as a cost-cutting measure, the plan stopped covering the blockbuster drugs. Now, those drugs will be covered once again for state employees who qualify.
“I tend to think about drugs — the useful ones — in one of two ways,” Briner explained. “Either they have a profound impact on a small population or they have a small impact on a profound population. It’s rare that you have a medicine that is both profound in impact and enormous in population, and (these drugs) are that.”
State Health Plan increase ‘significantly high’
But the premium increase is a disturbing development for state employees.
Low salaries are a problem across agencies. At the NC Forest Service, for example, there are 100 vacancies, due in part to a lack of competitive pay. Now, those who chose to work for the service will face higher costs for health insurance.
And it’s not just firefighters. Teachers, too, have been dealing with pay issues.
“We are against any increase to the premiums for public school employees because we know that this increase will take more money out of our educators’ paychecks in a state where our educators are very much underpaid,” said Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, which represents public school workers across the state. “We know that it could be one of the many things that continues to drive our educators out of a profession in a time where we are facing an educator shortage here in North Carolina.”
Recently, the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union held a statewide protest over the price hikes, which they characterized as “attacks on the State Health Plan.”
“As public workers,” union leader Charles Owens said in a statement, “we aren’t being taken care of by our lawmakers.”
While Briner frames the monthly increases as a necessary measure to save the health plan, Walker Kelly sees it as a financial burden on those who receive coverage.
“A $20 increase is significantly high, especially when we are talking about educators who have not seen a significant increase in their base pay from the state of North Carolina in quite some time,” she said. “Twenty dollars is whether or not I can put gas in my car to take myself to and from work.
“It may seem like a relatively low number on paper, but it provides significant challenges to the economic well-being of our educators throughout the state.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The content presents a critical view of premium increases impacting state employees, emphasizing the financial burden on low-paid workers like educators and public service employees. It highlights concerns from union leaders and employee representatives, which aligns with a center-left perspective focused on labor rights and social welfare. However, it also fairly presents the fiscal challenges and responses from state officials, reflecting a balanced approach without extreme partisanship. The article advocates for protecting workers’ economic well-being while acknowledging governmental budget constraints, typical of a center-left stance.
SUMMARY: Steven Tan, charged with stabbing two women and assaulting a child in Nightdale, made his first court appearance today. Tan allegedly stabbed his wife and another woman early Sunday and assaulted his wife’s seven-year-old daughter, though the child was not stabbed. He later rammed his car into a police vehicle, injuring an officer. Tan faces multiple charges, including assault and attempted murder. One victim sustained life-threatening injuries, but both are recovering. Tan, who had a recent conviction for sexual battery and assault, has a court date scheduled for May 16. His bond was denied.
A man faces multiple assault charges, including child assault, after two women were stabbed Sunday morning in a Knightdale neighborhood.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-29 07:02:00
(The Center Square) – Increasing trade policy activity by the United States and other countries has left 8 in 10 Americans with rising concerns on the cost of things they buy, a poll originating out of North Carolina says.
“Much higher” prices are expected by 43% of respondents when asked “How much do you think the new tariffs imposed by the United States will affect the cost of things you buy?” Another 37% said they expect “somewhat higher” prices, according to a segment of the Elon University Poll released Tuesday morning.
Those results are in line with a poll released last week from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half expect prices to go up a lot and another 30% say somewhat higher. Most poll results released in the last week indicate some kind of question related to inflation, higher prices and trade policy, and answers reflect growing concern.
Elon University said 1,149 adults age 18 and older were interviewed April 10-17 and matched down to the 1,000 sample. Margin of error is +/- 3.58%. The university funds and operates the poll “as the neutral, nonbiased information resource.”
The demographics split was balanced for those expecting trade policy to cause “much higher” consumer prices. That includes income levels of less than $50,000 (44%), $50,000 to $100,000 (40%) and $100,000 or more (44%); Blacks (55%) and white or non-Hispanics (38%); women (49%) and men (37%); age 45 and up (44%) and ages 18-44 (42%); and those with a four-year degree (45%) and those without (42%).
Party allegiance was different for the “much higher” answer. Democrats (75%) were more represented than independents (42%) or Republicans (14%). Of those saying “somewhat higher,” 51% were Republicans, 38% independents and 21% Democrats.
Asked about summer vacation plans due to the economy, 47% anticipate little or no change and 33% plan to spend less and stay closer to home.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This content presents poll data related to trade policy and its perceived impact on consumer prices without taking a clear partisan stance. It reports factual information from a university poll and highlights various demographic and party affiliations objectively. The language is neutral, focusing on the polling results and public opinion without editorializing, making it centrist in nature.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-28 13:21:00
(The Center Square) – Exports and international trade of North Carolina poultry is resuming following declaration of the state being free of High Path Avian Influenza.
The World Organization for Animal Health gave the clearance Monday afternoon.
Broilers are a $5.6 billion industry for the state’s farmers. The Agriculture Department says 941 million are raised each year.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a release, “This designated status change is a welcome one from the standpoint of trade, but it is important to note that the virus causing HPAI is still present within wild bird populations in our state. Poultry owners are encouraged to continue to follow strict biosecurity measures and monitor their flocks for signs of illness. Steps should be taken to minimize exposure to wild birds as much as possible.”
North Carolina is No. 1 nationally in poultry and egg cash receipts, No. 2 in turkeys (29 million annually), and exported $347.4 million worth of poultry and poultry products last calendar year.
There have been no human cases reported in the state, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bird flu can be dangerous for humans, causing illness and even death.
In January, the Agriculture Department said the state had its first case of high path avian influenza, or H5N1 bird flu, in the state since February 2024. This kind of bird flu virus is “considered a low risk to people,” a release from the department said referencing the CDC. It is high risk, contagious, to other birds to include commercial and backyard flocks of poultry.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content is neutral in tone and provides factual information regarding North Carolina’s poultry industry and the resumption of exports following the state’s clearance of High Path Avian Influenza. The article includes quotes from the Agriculture Commissioner and scientific data about the impact of the virus on both animals and humans. There is no evident political bias or partisan framing, making this content centrist, focusing primarily on the agricultural and public health aspects of the issue without delving into political or ideological viewpoints.
