This One Issue Threatens North Carolina's Long-Term Success

North Carolina ranks among the worst states in the nation for health care costs

“North Carolina tops the list of worst states for health care costs."

So reported Forbes towards the end of 2023.

And what does the most expensive care in the nation get us? The third WORST overall health care. This is an issue we're going to keep coming back to in the run-up to this year's legislative session.

We've long bragged about the benefits of the Reform Majority's tax cuts, which have created a boom decade for North Carolina. But health care costs all but neutralize the value of those tax cuts, and the trend is worsening.

No isolated finding, the dismal health care ranking is just the latest iteration of a now familiar tale. It reads like this: Runaway health care costs are draining family pocketbooks and damaging the state’s sterling reputation for business and economic growth.

At its core, this is an economic growth problem that threatens the long-term success of the Reform Majority's brilliant policy work to transform North Carolina into one of the country's leading success stories.

We think it's time for triage. Most urgent: understanding the scope of the problem. In the coming weeks, CPR will feature exhaustive data points that show just how bad North Carolina's cost of care problem really is, and we'll offer some potential remedies.

Stay tuned.

Source: Forbes, “The Worst (and Best) States for Health Care, Ranked.”