NC Treasurer Says Atrium Copay Program Could Bankrupt State Plan
Atrium Health launched an Affordability Protection Program on Oct. 6 to lower out-of-pocket costs for North Carolina State Health Plan members who use its facilities, after being excluded as a preferred provider in the plan's new 2027 tiered network. State Treasurer Brad Briner warned the program could cost the plan over $100 million next year and ultimately bankrupt it, since Atrium is subsidizing copays rather than lowering the prices it charges the plan itself. Briner called the program potentially illegal, said his office is investigating legal options, and urged the plan's nearly 750,000 members to disregard it ahead of open enrollment starting Oct. 12. Atrium disputes the characterization, saying it offered to match preferred-tier discounts multiple times and was rejected, and that the plan's benefit design, not Atrium's pricing, is driving higher member costs.