A vote on a plan for Atrium Health to take control of WakeMed was postponed, state officials say. The vote had been scheduled for Monday.
According to State Treasurer Brad Briner, the Wake County Board of Commissioners has indicated that a vote that would allow the Charlotte-based hospital network to take control of WakeMed will be delayed.
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State Auditor Dave Boliek on Sunday publicly called for a delay to Monday's planned vote with the Wake County Board of Commissioners. His statement read in part:
"The rollout of the proposed hospital takeover raises questions. The lack of transparency does not instill confidence; in fact, it calls for greater scrutiny and explanation. In the interest of the people of Wake County and all of the citizens in North Carolina, the vote to approve WakeMed’s amended articles of incorporation, currently scheduled for May 4, 2026, should be delayed, and I applaud any decision to delay this vote.”
Earlier on Monday, WRAL News was given an indication that the vote would be postponed.
A Wake County spokesperson said the board "has taken no formal action on any items on the May 4 meeting agenda since it was published on Friday."
Briner said he sent a concerned letter to the board, posting on X, "Thankfully the Board is going to delay the vote. This proposed move will increase already high healthcare costs with no meaningful investment in Wake County."
At a meeting on Monday, WakeMed Chief Executive Officer Donald Gintzig said the WakeMed system faces existential concerns and needs a strong partner to be well-positioned in the future.
"This new partnership will mean Wake County will still be served by three strong systems," Gintzig said, referencing the UNC Health and Duke Health systems. "There will be more competition, not less.”
Their statements came after Republican Rep. Mike Schietzelt posted a similar opinion on X, writing:
"I heard from one of our Wake County Commissioners this morning that they intend to delay this vote," Schietzelt wrote. "That's the right move. This merger will significantly impact the cost and quality of care across Wake County. It merits a transparent, deliberative process."
WakeMed is one of the smallest hospital networks in the state. By partnering with Atrium, WakeMed could gain easier access to clinical trials and capital, which could accelerate its expansion plans throughout the county as it seeks to compete with other providers such as UNC Health and Duke Health.
That could mean new equipment, improved facilities and quicker access to benefits.
"If this goes through and WakeMed gets more capital to improve facilities, they get to buy new equipment. You could get access to some of those benefits," said Joshua Barrett, a business analyst with the UNC Center for the Business of Health at the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
The deal has been met with skepticism. Multiple elected officials warn it would not benefit the public, as less competition for WakeMed could lead to higher health care costs.
"Even if you're not a WakeMed consumer of their health care services [or] if you're with Duke Health, competition raises prices after some of these merger events," Barrett said.
"The announcement of the transaction was only made public on Friday afternoon. The people of Wake County and stakeholders who are affected by this move deserve to have more than a weekend to voice their opinions on a hospital takeover of this scale. Whether you support this transaction or not, taxpayers deserve full transparency from their government. It’s time to hit pause, pull back the curtain, and explain exactly what is being voting on, the information you have been provided, and the impact this would have on families, employees, and local businesses in Wake County."
Gov. Josh Stein released a statement on the matter.
“North Carolina health care consumers benefit when competition is strong," Stein said. "The Governor has been in touch with Attorney General Jackson about his plans to carefully review any transaction. But the Governor knows from his time as Attorney General that the Department of Justice needs more tools in the toolbox to ensure these types of transactions are transparent and actually benefit the public. He continues to call on the General Assembly to empower the Attorney General to better protect North Carolinians.”
