When Atrium Health announced plans to absorb WakeMed on a Friday evening and pushed for a Wake County Board of Commissioners vote the following Monday, SEANC had less than 72 hours to respond.

And we did.

Executive Director Ardis Watkins sent a formal letter to the Wake County Board of Commissioners calling for a no vote, members contacted their commissioners directly, and the public pressure worked. Commissioners voted to pause the deal for 90 days and collect community input before taking further action.

Make no mistake — this fight is not over. The 90-day delay is not a rejection. WakeMed's board has already unanimously approved the combination, and Atrium is not walking away from a deal that would give it a dominant market position across Charlotte, the Triad, and the Triangle.

When hospitals eliminate independent competitors and gain pricing leverage over insurance plans, costs go up for everyone — and the State Health Plan, which covers 748,000 NC state employees, retirees, and their dependents, is directly in the crosshairs.

We have seen this play out before in North Carolina, in Wilmington and in Asheville, and the results were the same both times.

Contact your commissioners and tell them to vote no when this deal comes back before the Board. Make your voice heard at seanc.org →