Today Gov. Bev Perdue announced that the state and the Federal government will partner to establish North Carolina’s Health Insurance Exchange. For now, this means that the state will retain some limited involvement in the day-to-day operations of the Exchange. We expect the newly elected governor and members of the General Assembly to finally determine the level of the state’s involvement.

The Exchange will be designed to allow uninsured individuals, families and small businesses to shop for and enroll in commercial health plans or Medicaid.  

The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) has been fully engaged in the Exchange planning process so far, and has sought to advance and protect physician interests. The NCMS continues to envision an exchange in our state that:

• Includes physicians in the governance structure;
• Increases competition between health insurers;
• Allows patients to shop for plans by their doctor’s name.

There are many details still to be determined, and we are waiting for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide that guidance.