The Wake County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the merger between Atrium and WakeMed health care systems. Under an agreement reached before the vote, Atrium agreed to cap price increases at WakeMed for five years, according to Governor Stein.
"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," Governor Stein said in a statement.
Stein, a former attorney general, said he is welcoming the state attorney general's independent review of the transaction. He has been pushing the General Assembly to expand the attorney general's authority to review hospital transactions and block mergers or sales that increase costs, diminish quality, or harm local communities.
In 2023, Governor Stein helped draft bipartisan legislation proposed by Senators Jim Burgin and Julie Mayfield that would give the attorney general more authority to review hospital transactions and increase public reporting requirements. He continues to urge lawmakers to pass this 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, to propose health care cost reforms. The commission is expected to release its report in early 2027.