North Carolina businesses foot a large portion of the bill to provide health insurance coverage to citizens across the state. As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to come to bear, job creators are experiencing more uncertainty in the health care market. And that uncertainty means business owners have a limited ability to predict and manage costs while demanding higher quality health care options and more efficient pathways for implementation.

One major impediment to an affordable health care system for North Carolina employers is the existence of a health care value gap that comes from misaligned incentives and a lack of trust among stakeholders along the health care supply chain. The North Carolina Chamber believes the solution to this problem is a coordinated, comprehensive approach to health care that encourages collaboration from stakeholders and drives real value with the measurement of outcomes. More than that, we believe North Carolina possesses the knowledge, talent and leadership needed to make this idea a reality and set a new standard for the nation.

Jack Nightingale and Chuck Reynolds, both executives with the Benfield Group – a leading independent reinsurance and risk intermediary – provided an overview of this comprehensive, business-like approach to health care in a recent report, Bridging the Value Gap: Collaborating Along the Health Care Supply Chain to Improve Health and Control Costs One Community at a Time. Over the next few weeks, we’ll take a closer look at a number of the case studies presented in the report to give you some real-life examples of how businesses, government agencies and local communities have figured out ways to bridge the health care value gap and make the health care supply chain work better for everyone involved.

In 2016 and beyond, the NC Chamber is committed to working with our members to establish a vision and develop and advance realistic strategies that will allow us to achieve affordable and sustainable health care coverage for all North Carolinians. We will keep you updated on those efforts as they progress. I hope your organization will be among those that join us to work together toward a comprehensive solution for North Carolina.

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber