RICHARD CRAVER Winston-Salem Journal

The majority of State Health Plan participants will become eligible in October for “an innovative no-cost surgical benefit” through a new partnership with a Dallas-based health care network.

Treasurer Brad Briner said the plan involves Lantern, a Specialty Care Platform, and a network of surgeons and specialists it is assembling in North Carolina.

The state treasurer’s office oversees the State Health Plan, which covers nearly 750,000 members comprised of teachers, state employees, retirees and dependents.

For the Lantern plan, Medicare recipients are not eligible, which reduces the number of potential participants to about 550,000.

The “no cost” in this instance signifies the State Health Plan will cover the surgical cost for members that they n

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