Health Care Affordability Commission

Access to affordable, high-quality health care is essential to the health, financial security, and quality of life of North Carolinians. However, rising health care prices continue to increase insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for families, employers, and the State. These challenges can be especially significant in rural communities, where provider shortages, hospital closures, and limited competition may further restrict access to affordable care.

The North Carolina Health Care Affordability Commission develops recommendations for practical, data-informed initiatives to reduce health care costs and make care more affordable across the state.

The Commission is co-chaired by North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Devdutta Sangvai, M.D.

Governor Stein established the Commission on June 30, 2026, through Executive Order No. 39: Establishing the North Carolina Health Care Affordability Commission. The Commission includes bipartisan state legislators and representatives from health care providers, hospitals, insurers, researchers, employers, and consumer and patient advocacy organizations.

The Commission will identify, research, and advise the Governor on initiatives that can improve health care affordability in North Carolina, including:

• Improving transparency, data collection, and recordkeeping to better serve consumers and inform policymakers
• Promoting competition in the market for health care services, including increasing system capacity
• Addressing health care workforce shortages, particularly shortages of primary care providers
• Expanding access to and use of primary care across the state
• Exploring value-based care models
• Identifying solutions to improve health care affordability in rural areas

The Commission will also consider existing statewide initiatives, including the Rural Health Transformation Program, and identify opportunities to build upon those efforts.

The Commission will meet at least three times and will deliver its first report and recommendations to the Governor no later than January 2027.