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>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO STATE EMPLOYEES IN NORTH CAROLINA
WERE WORRIED THEY MIGHT LOSE
THEIR HEALTH CARE.
MAJOR HOSPITAL CMS HAD REJECTED
A NEW PROPOSAL TO REMAIN IN-
NETWORK PROVIDERS IN THE STATE
HEALTH PLAN.
THAT MEANT TEACHERS AMONG OTHER
STATE WORKERS WOULD HAVE HAD TO
PAY HIGHER RATES NEXT YEAR.
HOWEVER A HYBRID PLAN WAS
ANNOUNCED ASKING LETTING MAJOR
CARE CENTERS AS IN-NETWORK
FACILITIES.
YOUR OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATORS
WANT THE CONSUMER HERE IN NORTH
CAROLINA TO UNDERSTAND WHAT?
>> CLEAR PRICING.
AND YOU HAD A COMMENT IN YOUR
THING, WE WERE ACTUALLY
BOYCOTTED.
WE HAD THE CLEAR PRICING
BASICALLY SAYS THAT NO MORE
SECRET CONTRACTS, GIVE THE
POWER TO THE CONSUMER, SO THAT
THE CONSUMER CAN ACTUALLY
CONSUME AND MAKE CHOICES
BETWEEN WHAT THE VALUE AND COST
OF SOMETHING IS.
WE HAD NEARLY 28,000 PROVIDERS
WHO SAID YES TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, TRYON MEDICAL.
>> WHAT EXACTLY DID THAT MEAN?
>> THAT MEANS A MEDICARE
REFERENCE AND WE OFFERED
MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT RATES
PLUS 100% PROFIT.
100% PROFIT.
AND WE HAD NEARLY 28,000
PROVIDERS WHO SAID YES TO THIS.
BECAUSE WHAT WE TRIED TO DO IS
EXALT PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS,
MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS AND
RURAL HOSPITAL BECAUSE
ESPECIALLY PRIME PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIANS AND MENTAL HEALTH
SPECIALISTS ARE CLOSEST TO THE
PEOPLE.
AS I SAID EARLIER, MOST OF THE
MAJOR HOSPITALS BOYCOTTED THE
STATE HEALTH PLAN EVEN AFTER
BEING OFFERED 100%.
>> WHAT'S THEIR PROFIT THAT
THEY DON'T SEE THAT AS A GOOD
DEAL?
>> BECAUSE WHAT WE FOUND WHEN
WE START LOOKING INTO THIS AND
STATE AUDITOR OF NORTH CAROLINA
POINTED THIS OUT EIGHT YEARS
AGO, THE RISK FOR OVERPAYING
CLAIMS BECAUSE THE PLAN DOES
NOT HAVE ACCESS TO VENDOR
CONTRACTS CANNOT VERIFY THE
TEACHERS OR TROOPERS ARE NOT
RECEIVING THE PROPER DISCOUNTS.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF THAT.
WHAT WE FOUND IS OUR
REIMBURSEMENT RATES RANGE FROM
80 TO 800% OF MEDICARE
REIMBURSEMENT RATES.
FROM THESE HOSPITALS YOU
MENTIONED EARLIER, WE NEVER
ONCE OVER A YEAR PERIOD OF TIME
RECEIVED A COUNTER PROPOSAL OF
WHAT RATE THEY WOULD ACCEPT.
IT WAS A STRAIGHT OUT BOYCOTT.
THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO BE PART
OF GETTING RID OF THESE SECRET
CONTRACTS AS I JUST SHOWED YOU.
>> CAN SOMEBODY COMPEL THEM TO
PUT THIS INFORMATION OUT IN THE
OPEN?
>> WELL, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT.
BUT --
>> DOES THAT MEAN GOING THROUGH
THE COURTS?
>> YES.
I THINK THAT WITH THE MASSIVE
AMOUNT OF SPECIAL INTERESTS
REGARDING HEALTH CARE AND THEY
OFTENTIMES CALL THEMSELVES
NONPROFITS, THIS IS BIG
BUSINESS.
THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER HERE
IN CHARLOTTE HAS MORE MONEY IN
THE BANK THAN THE STATE OF
NORTH CAROLINA HAS LONG-TERM
DEBT.
NEARLY $5 BILLION IN THE BANK,
AND ALL WE'RE DOING AT THE
TREASURER'S OFFICE BECAUSE WE
HAVE LOYALTY AND A DUTY OF CARE
TO THE PEOPLE WHO TEACH OUR
KIDS AND PROTECT US FROM
CRIMINALS AND PAVE OUR ROADS,
MANY OF WHOM HAVE TO WORK ONE
WEEK OUT OF EVERY FOUR THIS
YEAR TO PAY THE FAMILY PREMIUM.
THEY ARE MAKING THE CHOICE
BETWEEN MORTGAGE AND HEALTH
CARE, ENERGY AND HEALTH CARE,
FOOD AND HEALTH CARE.
SOME ARE WORKING TWO JOBS JUST
TO PAY THE HEALTH CARE PREMIUM
IN THE STATE HEALTH PLAN AND
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO,
LOWER THE FAMILY PREMIUMS AND
THE BOYCOTT BY THESE MAJOR
HOSPITALS IS GOING TO PREVENT
US NEXT YEAR FROM LOWERING
FAMILY PREMIUMS WHICH IS A
TRAGEDY.
>> YOU WANT TO WEIGH IN ON
HEALTH CARE?
>> I TELL YOU, TREASURER FALL
WELL IS THE FIRST PERSON WHO
HAS DUG INTO THIS AND THANK
GOODNESS FOR HIM.
HE COULD BE DOING A LOT OF
THINGS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
PROBABLY MAKING A HECK OF A LOT
MORE MONEY BUT HE'S DECIDED TO
TAKE THIS ON.
FROM A POLITICAL STANDPOINT
I'VE BEEN DISTURBED BY THE
AMOUNT OF PROMISES FROM
POLITICIANS THAT WE CANNOT
KEEP.
AS THE TREASURER SAID, WE CAN'T
PAY FOR WHAT WE HAVE NOW AS A
STATE GOVERNMENT AND AS A
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WE'RE OVER
$20 TRILLION IN DEBT.
PAYING OFF OFF EDUCATION,
PAYING A THOUSAND DOLLARS A
MONTH TO DO NOTHING, THAT'S
REALLY FRIGHTENING, AS A 30
SOMETHING YEAR OLD VOTER.
HOW IN THE HECK ARE WE GOING TO
PAY FOR THE PROMISES AND THE
ANSWER IS WE'RE NOT GOING TO.
IT'S TIME FOR POLITICIANS TO
TELL THE TRUTH.
SO WE CAN PAY OUR BILLS.
>> COLETTE?
>> FROM ME BEING A 52-YEAR-OLD
VOTER AND BEING A SINGLE PARENT
AND BY GOD'S GRACE I AM NO
LONGER ON MEDICAID BUT WHEN I
HAD MY SON IN 2007, I WAS AND
BY THE GRACE OF GOD I HAD THAT
SAFETY NET TO BE ABLE TO TAKE
CARE OF THE NEONATAL, TAKE CARE
OF THE PRENATAL, ALL THE THINGS
A CHILD NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE
OF WHILE THEY'RE IN THE WOMB TO
BE BORN HEALTHY.
HEALTH CARE SHOULD NOT BE
POLITICIZED.
HEALTH CARE IS ENSURING YOU
LIVE THE MOST PRODUCTIVE
HEALTHY LIFE YOU CAN, BE IT
FROM YOUR MEDICAL CARE
PROVIDER, HEALTH AND CARE
OPTIONS, BE IT FROM GOOD
CHOICES THAT YOU MAKE AS A
HUMAN BEING, SO I THINK TO ME
THAT'S THE NO.
1 PROBLEM.
IS THAT POLITICAL POLITICIANS
TRY TO POLITICIZE HEALTH CARE
WHEN WE SHOULD HAVE PUBLICER IS
ADVANCEMENTS LOOKING OUT FOR
REGULAR CITIZENS TO ENSURE THAT
WE DO GET THE BEST COST AND
HEALTH CARE.
WE DO GET THE BEST CARE IN
HEALTH CARE, THAT THE PROVIDERS
HAVE GONE THROUGH THEIR
SECURITY CHECKS AND THAT THEY
ARE DUALLY FIDUCIARY ABLE TO
TAKE CARE OF YOU.
>> ON THAT NOTE, WE'RE GOING TO
TAKE A QUICK BREAK EVERYBODY.