1/23/2019
Contact: Frank Lester (919) 814-3811
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Treasurer Folwell to Appear on Spectrum's Capital Tonight
Will Discuss State Health Plan's Clear Pricing Project to Increase Transparency and Reduce Costs
(Raleigh, N.C.) – The North Carolina State Health Plan announced that State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, will appear tonight on the Spectrum News public affairs program Capital Tonight. Loretta Boniti will be hosting the segment.
Opposite Treasurer Folwell will be a representative of the North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) that has initiated a multimillion dollar campaign to oppose the State Health Plan’s “Clear Pricing Project.” The initiative announced last fall seeks to increase transparency in the price of medical services for members of the State Health Plan and lower medical costs, saving $300 million for taxpayers and more than $65 million for teachers, state employees and other public servants.
The campaign against lower health care costs is largely funded by NCHA, with Vidant Health of Greenville taking the lead. Part of the campaign against clear pricing and lowering costs could actually be paid using taxpayers’ dollars since the state’s hospital, UNC Health Care, is a member of NCHA paying thousands of dollars a year in dues to the organization.
Treasurer Folwell had hoped to appear on the program with Dr. Mike Waldrum, chief executive officer of Vidant Health or Stephen Lawler president of the NCHA but they were either unavailable or unwilling to discuss more sunshine and lower health care costs on camera.
Capital Tonight covers politics from across North Carolina and can be seen from Charlotte to the coast. It features a mix of the daily political news, in-depth interviews, and analysis. The show with Treasurer Folwell will air tonight on Spectrum News NC at 7 p.m., with an encore at midnight.
The State Health Plan, a division of the N.C. Department of State Treasurer, provides health care coverage to more than 720,000 teachers, state employees, current and former lawmakers, state university and community college personnel and their dependents, including non-Medicare and Medicare retirees.