Governor Stein released the following statement in response to the Wake County Board of Commissioners voting to approve the merger between the Atrium and WakeMed health care systems:
“Today the commission voted to approve the Atrium-WakeMed merger. I thank the commissioners for their work on patients’ behalf, and I am pleased that Atrium and WakeMed agreed to my request to protect families by capping price increases at WakeMed for the next five years. Now that the commission has voted, I welcome the Attorney General’s review of the proposed transaction and his office’s independent assessment of it.
Since my time as Attorney General, I have been urging the General Assembly to give the Attorney General’s Office more authority to review hospital transactions and protect North Carolinians from the increased prices and decreased quality they often bring. Health care costs are too high, and additional oversight and authority would better protect patients.”
In 2023, Governor Stein helped draft bipartisan legislation proposed by Senators Jim Burgin and Julie Mayfield to give the Attorney General authority to review hospital transactions and block mergers or sales that increase costs, diminish quality of care, or harm the local community. The legislation would also increase public reporting requirements for proposed hospital transactions. Governor Stein continues to call on the General Assembly to act on that legislation.
Earlier this year, Governor Stein launched the bipartisan Health Care Affordability Commission, co-chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai and State Treasurer Brad Briner, with a mandate to propose reforms that will address rising health care costs. The commission will release its report in early 2027 ahead of the legislative session.
Click here to read Governor Stein’s September 20, 2026, statement on WakeMed and Atrium meeting demands to cap prices, increase charity care, and fully invest $2 billion in new dollars into hospital improvements.