RALEIGH, N.C. — A coalition of state employees, patient advocates and nonprofit groups is pressing Attorney General Jeff Jackson to dig into the planned takeover of WakeMed by Atrium Health before the deal is final.
On Oct. 14, the State Employees Association of North Carolina hosted a news conference alongside the N.C. Justice Center, the Patients Union and other organizations, and the groups sent Jackson a letter asking him to hold public hearings on the proposal.
Their requests center on transparency. The coalition wants the final, enforceable language of the merger documents made public and an independent look at how the combination would affect prices and access to care. Among the open questions they list: the binding terms of a five-year price cap negotiated shortly before county approval, how Atrium would fund and verify its promised $2 billion investment in WakeMed, and whether charity care and debt collection protections will hold and for how long.
The groups also say the process moved too fast. Wake County commissioners approved the merger 5-2 in September, and coalition members argue there was no open bidding and little time for the public to examine the terms. Critics have also flagged a provision that would hand WakeMed assets to Atrium if the hospital system ever shut down.
State law requires the North Carolina Department of Justice to review the agreement among Atrium, WakeMed and the Governor’s Office to make sure it complies with the law. Jackson’s office said that work will start once it receives official notice and the full set of documents from the parties, which had not happened as of Oct. 14.
The cost stakes reach well beyond Wake County. Estimates from the State Health Plan show premiums could rise by $84 to $132 a year for each member if WakeMed rates climbed to Atrium levels. State Treasurer Brad Briner, whose office runs the plan, has asked the attorney general for an independent assessment of the merger, and beginning in January the plan is shifting most Atrium facilities into a higher-cost, out-of-network tier, a change it announced on Oct. 14.
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