Harris, 38, serves the 105th district in North Carolina’s House of Representatives, which encompasses southwestern Mecklenburg County. Before he was elected in 2018, he worked as a college professor and served as an international tax consultant for a large accounting firm. He studied economics at UNC Chapel Hill and received a Ph.D. in economics from Clemson University.
The job
Our Q&A with Harris
With the State Health Plan projected to face a budget shortfall in coming years, what steps would you take to ensure the plan remains solvent?
We must lower the risk pool for the health plan. That means investing in preventative care and wellness programs and working with the legislature to improve compensation so we can recruit younger folks to fill our State Government vacancies. Additionally, we must stand up to corporate consolidation in the healthcare industry and fight for fair and transparent prices to ensure that we are not paying hospitals and pharmaceutical companies more than we need to. But ultimately, we need the General Assembly to fund the plan to ensure it remains solvent.
An increasing number of health plans are shifting to so-called ‘value-based care’ payment models, but the State Health Plan remains a fee-for-service model. What will be your philosophy about designing reimbursement for the State Health Plan?
My philosophy is we need to promote overall wellness and health in our State Health Plan members. This means a focus on preventative care and overall health which will lower the overall cost of the health plan in the long term. If the value-based care payment models show real impacts on the health outcomes and total cost of similar plans, then I would certainly encourage our adoption of that model. But we must be serious about investing in preventative vs. reactive care.
Do you favor the state health plan covering the new GLP-1 weight-loss medications? Why or why not?
I do favor covering the GLP-1s if we can do so in a manner the health plan can afford. I cannot think a drug that has shown results dealing with obesity, which is shown to be one of the largest risk factors for future health concerns, would cost more money in the long run, than focusing on the preventative measures today. We must work with the Legislature to fund this drug, and ensure we pay a fair price for the drug. Because this type of preventative care is how we actually lower healthcare costs in the long run.
The third-party administrator for the State Health Plan will shift from BCBSNC to Aetna in 2025. What steps would you take as state treasurer to ensure that Aetna meets BCBSNC’s network adequacy levels, providing adequate health care access for state employees in rural areas with few hospitals and specialists?
I have been in discussions with Aetna to ensure that nearly all current State Health Plan members’ doctors will remain covered with Aetna’s network and trying to identify those not currently covered and trying to get them in network. As Treasurer, I’ll work with Aetna to make sure that the rural areas with few hospitals still have the coverage they need by pushing Aetna for rural outreach and working with what healthcare options are available in those areas to ensure that the needs of our State Health Plan members are met.
Treasurer Folwell has been outspoken in criticizing hospitals for inflating prices, not being transparent about costs and not providing enough charity care to poor patients. Do you believe his approach has been effective or not effective, and what would you do differently, if anything?
We are still dealing with high prices and a lack of true transparency, so while the issue is being brought to the forefront of political discourse it has been effective, but in solving the problem, we still have a way to go. I intend to continue Treasurer Folwell’s quest for transparency because that is the most critical aspect in helping folks choose the best healthcare, they must know the true costs ahead of time. We must also work with the hospitals to find a manner of transparency that can practically work while ensuring continued coverage across the state.
What other steps would you take as state treasurer specifically related to healthcare in North Carolina?
A key to lower the cost and improve the quality of healthcare in North Carolina is to stand up to corporate consolidation in the healthcare industry that leads to the excessive price levels and promote economic development in all parts of this state so there will be more healthcare options in general which creates the competition necessary to keep costs down. Additionally, ensuring folks on Medicaid and the State Health Plan use their insurance for preventative and wellness care. This will lower uncompensated care across the state and help halt the excessive rise in healthcare costs.