September 2017 • Vol. 35, Issue 6
THE
REPORTER
State Employees Association of North Carolina
East Carolina University and Vidant Health executed a formal agreement in late July to integrate ECU Physicians Group and Vidant Medical Group, completing a merger that gives away state assets and jeopardizes the future and stability of 1,200 state employees. This deal essentially gives Vidant a monopoly over health services in Eastern North Carolina. It will dramatically weaken competition in a community that relies upon affordable and accessible healthcare. Throughout this process, the state employees at ECU Physicians were promised that they would have an opportunity to collaborate and offer input on merger discussions. Instead, this deal was made behind closed doors, intentionally designed to silence the voices of the people who would be impacted the most.
SARA COWELL COBURN
ECU, Vidant execute formal agreement to merge
SEANC has been actively pursuing legal avenues to best advocate on behalf of the 1,200 affected state employees. Know that our fight doesn’t stop here. We will continue to challenge any agreement that hands the hard-earned money of taxpayers over to private interests without legislative
approval and public input. Your involvement is more critical now than ever. Please call and email your legislators and ask them to publicly oppose this merger. Urge them to stand up and protect state employees, taxpayers and accessible healthcare.
BCBSNC, Mission Health dispute puts western members at risk Members in the west are facing increased health care costs because of an ongoing contract dispute between Mission Health System, which operates six hospitals and other facilities in the Asheville area, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), the state’s largest insurance provider. BCBSNC administers the State Health Plan, so all state employees and retirees it covers will be affected by the dispute.
In This Issue 2 3 4-5 8
Public Policy Annual Convention Scholarship Awards/Bowl-a-thon State Health Plan
After six months of negotiation, Mission officials informed BCBSNC this week that it will leave the network effective Oct. 5, becoming the only system in North Carolina outside of the State Health Plan’s network. This means that plan members will be charged out-ofnetwork rates should they need care at a Mission facility. BCBSNC will continue to provide emergency care at in-network rates. Representatives from BCBSNC laid out the details of an ongoing dispute with Mission Health in a presentation for the SEANC Board of Governors on Friday, July 21. The BCBSNC officials contend that Mission Health is already overcharging them for services, and
plan to raise prices even more. That cost is passed on to all BCBSNC customers, including members of the State Health Plan. Members from the west voiced strong concerns about this dispute at the board meeting. Second Vice President Jimmy Davis told the BCBSNC representatives that Mission Hospital had saved his life during a recent health scare. Western Region Representative Cliff Johnson and others echoed similar sentiments. They encouraged BCBSNC to settle this dispute quickly, or the plan members will suffer in the end. SEANC and the State Treasurer’s Office continue to monitor the situation, and will provide information as it becomes available.