Wake County commissioners are hearing from the public about the possible merger between WakeMed and Atrium Health.
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Dozens of people spoke during a public hearing Monday afternoon at the Wake County Justice Center, with many expressing opposition to the proposed deal.
Before the meeting, a group of patients, doctors, community leaders and patient advocates rallied outside the Justice Center. They held signs and wore T-shirts opposing what they called an Atrium Health “takeover.”
Concerns raised at the rally included the potential for higher healthcare costs, the loss of WakeMed’s community-centered approach, and how much control Wake County leaders would have if the deal moves forward.
“This would be a complete handover of control. There would be no meaningful control with the county commission if this deal goes through. If that happens, we’ll be on the outside looking in, all of us,” Nathan Foster said during the rally.
Others who spoke during the public hearing supported the proposed merger.
“This is the people’s hospital of Wake County,” Dwight Spencer told commissioners. “Please put politics aside and think about health. I think this is a good partnership. I think it will be a partnership that increases the healthcare technology so that everybody will receive the best healthcare that WakeMed and Atrium can provide.”
Atrium Health also responded Monday to some of the concerns raised about the proposed deal.
Chris Berger, a spokesperson for Atrium Health, said the organizations have worked to balance transparency with the need to protect confidential business information. He said Wake County commissioners received presentations about the proposed combination as early as March and that dozens of forums have since been held with residents, WakeMed employees, care providers and elected officials.
On concerns about costs, Atrium pointed to research it says shows hospital mergers can reduce operating expenses. Atrium also cited outcomes from other Advocate Health combinations, including improvements in hospital mortality and chronic disease management.
Atrium also said the proposed combination would expand charity care, with patients earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level receiving care at no cost and additional discounts available for those earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level.
A vote has not yet been scheduled for the potential merger, which has received a lot of pushback and criticism over questions about higher costs and a lower quality of care.
The investment is worth at least $2 billion. WakeMed leaders have said Atrium's financial backing will help them serve a growing population, while opponents say the plan could lead to higher costs and a lower quality of care.
County leaders must approve two legal documents before the hospital can move forward with the process. One of those would require WakeMed to turn the hospital over to the county if it does not improve or maintain healthcare services for the region.
The county would not contribute any funding, new property or assets to WakeMed in the new deal.