Gov. Roy Cooper Forms Bipartisan North Carolina Council For Health Care Coverage

RALEIGH, N.C. — Governor Roy Cooper says the new bipartisan North Carolina Council for Health Care Coverage will meet for the first time on November 4th at 10 a.m.

Click here to watch the full meeting on Youtube.

Cooper says the council will be called to order by the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, and consists of bipartisan members of the General Assembly and representatives from different sectors including business, nonprofit, and health care.

“This pandemic has further exposed the many challenges facing North Carolina’s fractured health care system,” said Governor Cooper. “Too many hardworking North Carolinians cannot access affordable health coverage. This Council will guide North Carolina solutions that can help more people get the coverage they need.”

The Council will review health care coverage statewide and develop principles to help policymakers increase coverage in North Carolina, officials say.

Cooper says as of 2019 North Carolinians had the 6th highest rate of uninsured adults in the U.S., 17 percent of adults, and the number of citizens without insurance continues to grow during the pandemic.

“North Carolina is a leader in innovative health care and access to health care impacts every aspect of our society. It is critical that we have a diverse group of opinions as we look at ways to improve our current system,” said Dr. Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D, Director of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. “I am confident that this Council can move us closer to health care solutions that are right for North Carolina.” Dr. McClellan formerly served as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.