People, News & Notes: State treasurer advocates for increase in health plan premiums

North Carolina state employees and retirees could soon have health insurance premiums nearly doubled, state treasurer Brad Briner said Tuesday.

The state insurance plan is projected to have a $500 million shortfall in 2026 which will increase to $800 million in 2027, Briner said during a meeting of state leaders Tuesday. The State Health Plan has about 750,000 people who are retired or employed by the state, including teachers, and their dependents.

"We have a real financial challenge on our hands in the state health plan," Briner said during the Council of State gathering. "This is not a 'let's hope we can fix it in the next couple of years' problem. It's a 'we need to fix it today' kind of problem."

Employee premiums will likely be increased from $300 a year to around $550 a year, Briner said.

That will still be a bargain compared to private sector health insurance premiums, he said.

"The average company in this state charges almost $1,700 a year," Briner said. "So while premiums are likely to go up, and are going to be marginally less affordable, I must emphasize that this is still a great benefit for our state employees."

Insurance premiums for state employees and retirees have not been increased in seven years, but health care costs have been steadily rising during that time, according to a report by Briner's office and presented to the Board of Trustees last month.

In 2021, the year after the COVID-19 pandemic swept the state and the world, medical claims for the North Carolina state health plan jumped 15.2%, according to the report. Pharmaceutical costs increased 10.6% that year and have been increasing rapidly since, jumping 15.7% in 2023, according to the report.

The "rapid consolidation of health care providers in North Carolina has led to steep increases that exceed the capacity and planned growth in legislative funding," the report said.

David Beasley/The Center Square

Arts Council grant recipients announced

The Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge has announced the recipients of the Artist Support Grants and the Grassroots Grants.

The Artist Support Grant, made possible by the North Carolina Arts Council, was created to provide direct support to individual artists. The initiative will fund professional artists to enhance their skills and abilities to create work or to improve their business operations and capacity to bring their work to new audiences.

A total of $13,000 is being awarded to artists in a six-county region. The recipients for the 2025 year are:

Joshua Vaughan, Pitt County, to purchase supplies and materials for ongoing western North Carolina/Appalachian recovery/relief fundraising utilizing original artwork/stickers with sales going toward relief efforts.Tyshika Dickens, Wilson County, to produce a new body of work that explores cyanotype on glass, transforming a traditional African American china cabinet into a vessel for preserving family portraits and cultural legacy.Jeremiah Barnes, Pitt County, to purchase new camera lenses to improve professional portfolio.Nanyoung Kim, Pitt County, to purchase glazes and a slab roller to create a new body of ceramic work.Rakia Jackson, Pitt County, to purchase a Brother sewing machine to incorporate fabrics and embroidery techniques into 2D mixed media works, transforming them into 3D artworks that use textiles as a sculptural element.Jaden Bynum, Wayne County, to purchase augmented reality software and high-quality projection equipment for an interactive art installation.Erika Eagle Gibson, Pitt County, to purchase commercial cutting boards for use in the bakers shelves in the artist's studio, a Cricut machine for custom glaze application and clay.Kim Joy, Wilson County, to set up a space for online teaching and to purchase equipment for video recording.Kirby Terrell, Pitt County, to refurbish old and antique frames for gallery shows applications.Robin Haller, Pitt County, to support an artist-in-residency at Studio Aphorisma, Italy.George Snyder III, Pitt County, to design, piece and quilt a chintz applique quilt in the tradition popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in North Carolina.Borim Song, Pitt County, to support participation in the 2025 National Art Education Association (NAEA) Annual Convention.BA Thomas, Wilson County, to support a solo show in Paris, France, in May of 2025. The show will be hosted by the gallery Brigitte Mulholland.Jerome De Perlinghi, Wilson County, to finish a portfolio around Istanbul, Turkey, to complete the artist's trilogy of books.Lori Drake, Pitt County, to support attendance at the North Carolina Writers' Network Fall Conference 2025 for critical professional development.Marly Carmona Uzcategui, Pitt County, to create a bilingual poetry collection, blending Spanish and English poems with visual elements like collage and photography, inspired by nature and personal experiences.

Grassroots Arts Project Grants are made possible by the North Carolina Arts Council and disbursed to each county by their local arts council. Nonprofit organizations that implement arts projects in Pitt County may apply for the Grassroots Arts Project Grant. A total of nearly $55,000 is being awarded to the following Pitt County organizations to implement community programming for 2024-25:

AMEXCANAyden Historical and Arts SocietyCity of Greenville Recreation and Parks DepartmentEastern NC Dance FoundationECU SRAPASFarmville Community Arts CouncilGreater Greenville Queer ChorusGreenville Choral SocietyGreenville Theatre Arts CenterHeARToscopeMagnolia Arts CenterMakerspace of GreenvillePitt Community CollegeSmiles and Frowns PlayhouseTown of AydenTown of BethelUnnatural Resources FairWinterville Historical & Arts Society

GUC employees hit milestones

The Greenville Utilities Commission recently celebrated milestone service anniversaries of nine employees and the retirement of one longtime worker. Those celebrating milestones include:

Tammy Forrest, Customer Relations Support Analyst III, 25 years.Eric Phillips, Gas Compliance Coordinator, 25 years.Ronald Miller, Wastewater Treatment Plan Maintenance Crew Leader, 20 years.Antwyne Tyson, Customer Programs Coordinator/Analyst, 15 years.Robert Pilgreen, Systems O/M Technician II, 15 years.Krystle Firas-Nunez, IT Systems Analyst II; 10 years.Chris Padgett, Assistant General Manager/Chief Administrative Officer, 10 years.Joey Breeden, Gas Engineering Assistant II, five years.Tye Nichols, Cashier II, five years.

The following GUC employee recently retired:

Cherlyn Barrett, Gas Engineering Assistant, after 34 years of service.

City employees recognized

Three City of Greenville employees recently retired while numerous others celebrated anniversaries with the city.

Rene' Umphlett of the Planning and Development Services Department retired after 25 years of service. Umphlett was a permit officer with the department.

Francis Conklin of the Fire/Rescue Department retired after 20 years of service. Conklin was an EMS Specialist with the department.

Phyllis House of the Recreation and Parks Department retired after 13 years of service. House was a Staff Support Specialist III with the department.

Twenty-three City of Greenville employees recently celebrated milestone service anniversaries.

30 years of service: Charlie Joyner of the Public Works Department.25 years of service: Chantae Gooby of the Planning and Development Services Department; Felix Harris of the Police Department; and Jacob Valevich of the Fire/Rescue Department.20 years of service: Mark Glass and Chris Lancaster of the Fire/Rescue Department.15 years of service: Marcius Harris and Larry Davis of the Public Works Department and Jonathan Peterson and Justin Wooten of the Police Department.10 years of service: Elliott Gruhn of the Police Department; Joseph Durrett of the Public Works Department; and William Braxton, Zachary Smith and Tanner Coble of the Fire/Rescue Department.Five years of service: Alfred Phillips of the Public Works Department; Matt Haga of the Information Technology Department; and Edward Spellman, Wilber Espinoza, Quinton Staton, Marcus Smith, Thomas Rainone and Baily Wilson of the Police Department.