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Winston-Salem · Piedmont Triad, NC

Affordable Healthcare in Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem, Kernersville, Clemmons and Lewisville. A hospital town with two big health systems, and thousands of neighbors facing new Medicaid rules in 2027.

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Answer 6 quick questions to see what Direct Primary Care plus health sharing could cost your household.

Buying your own plan in Winston-Salem & Forsyth County

Winston-Salem had 249,545 people at the 2020 census (source), and health care is its biggest business: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist alone employs about 18,570 people in the metro, more than any other employer (source).

That means many Winston-Salem families get a plan through a hospital job. The ones who call us don't: self-employed people, small-business owners in Kernersville and Clemmons, gig and contract workers, and early retirees. North Carolina individual-plan prices rose about 28.6% on average for 2026 (source), and approved 2027 increases run from 8.35% to 27.36% (source).

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Towns we help in Winston-Salem & Forsyth County

  • Winston-Salem · Forsyth County · 249,545 people (2020)
    Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center; Wake Forest University.
  • Kernersville · Forsyth County
    Halfway between Winston-Salem and Greensboro, with Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center.
  • Clemmons · Forsyth County
    Western suburb off I-40 with Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center.
  • Lewisville · Forsyth County
    Small-town suburb across the Yadkin River from Davie County.

Don't see your town? We help anywhere in the Triad. Tell us where you are.

I-40I-85I-73/74US 29GreensboroReidsvilleWinston-SalemKernersvilleClemmonsHigh PointThomasvilleBurlingtonMebaneAsheboroLiberty

Sketch map; roads drawn town to town. This area is highlighted; tap another town to open its guide.

Medicaid work requirements start in 2027: what to check

North Carolina expanded Medicaid in December 2023, and about 735,000 people have enrolled since (source). New rules start January 1, 2027. Most expansion adults ages 19 to 64 will need to show 80 hours a month of work, school, job training or community service. They'll also renew every six months, not once a year (source, source). Some people are exempt, such as parents of children 13 and under, pregnant women and some people with disabilities (source).

In Forsyth County, 25,696 people had expansion coverage in July 2025, and one projection put 9,713 of them at risk of losing it (source). That's a guess about the future, not a count. The state is working to keep eligible people enrolled.

If you're on Medicaid, keep your address current with your county DSS. Answer every renewal letter. If you do lose Medicaid, you can usually get a Marketplace plan right away through a special enrollment period, and at low incomes the tax credit can be large (source). Check that first. Health sharing isn't insurance, and it's no substitute for Medicaid. It fits households whose income is too high for much help.

Who it fits here, and who should stay on insurance

Usually a good fit: healthy individuals and families who buy their own plan, self-employed people, early retirees under 65, and households whose income is too high for much Marketplace help.

Usually better on insurance: anyone who qualifies for NC Medicaid, anyone with a serious ongoing condition who needs it paid for in year one, anyone planning a pregnancy in the next nine months, anyone who needs regular mental-health therapy, and anyone whose tax credit makes an ACA plan cheap.

In this area specifically: If anyone in the household works for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Novant Health, the school system or Wake Forest University, compare that employer plan first.

Not sure which side you're on? Tell us about your household or call (743) 223-5388.

Illustrative example · October 2026

Kernersville couple, oldest 47

$433.16 /month

Member + spouse, oldest member 40–49, $2,500 Initial Unshareable Amount per Need, non-tobacco. Combined medical cost sharing + virtual primary care membership. Optional dental savings plan from $8.95/month. Not a quote; your amount depends on your household.

See the full price table →

Questions we hear from this area

Can I use Wake Forest Baptist or Novant Health with health sharing?

Yes. There's no provider network, so any licensed hospital works. Pay as a self-pay patient up to your Initial Unshareable Amount, then submit eligible bills. Call the sharing program before planned care.

I might lose Medicaid in 2027. Is health sharing an option?

Check a Marketplace plan first. Losing Medicaid usually opens a special enrollment period, and at lower incomes the tax credit can make a plan very cheap. Health sharing isn't insurance; it mostly fits households whose income is too high for much help.

Is this health insurance?

No. Health care sharing and direct primary care are alternatives to insurance. Sharing is voluntary and not guaranteed, and it isn't Minimum Essential Coverage. North Carolina has no state penalty for going without insurance.

Other Triad areas: Greensboro & Guilford County · High Point, Thomasville & Archdale · Burlington & Alamance County · Asheboro, Liberty & Randolph County

Read more: every option compared · what it costs · health sharing in North Carolina · direct primary care

Written and reviewed by Graham Kerswell. Last updated November 5, 2026. Facts and prices are checked against the sources named on this page.

Sources

Compare your options in Winston-Salem & Forsyth County

Tell us who needs care and what you pay now. We'll walk you through the options, including when insurance is the better fit.

Get my optionsCall (743) 223-5388

Free, no obligation. Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point and Triad households.

Health care sharing
Health care sharing ministries are not insurance and are not regulated as insurance. Sharing of medical expenses is voluntary and not guaranteed. Review each organization's guidelines for details, limitations, and state-specific notices.

North Carolina notice (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-49-12)
North Carolina law asks health care sharing organizations to give members this notice: “NOTICE: The organization facilitating the sharing of medical expenses is not an insurance company and neither its guidelines nor its plan of operation is an insurance policy. Whether anyone chooses to assist you with your medical bills will be voluntary. No other participant will be compelled by law to contribute toward your medical bills. As such, participation in the organization or a subscription to any of its documents should never be considered to be insurance. Regardless of whether you receive any payment for medical expenses or whether this organization continues to operate, you are always personally liable for the payment of your own medical bills.” Health care sharing is not Minimum Essential Coverage.

Direct primary care
Direct primary care is a membership with a primary care practice. Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-3-8, a medical direct primary care agreement is not insurance and is not subject to North Carolina's insurance laws; the agreement must be in writing and must state prominently that it is not health insurance. A DPC membership does not pay for specialists, hospital care or emergencies, and it is not Minimum Essential Coverage.

Discount plans
THIS PLAN IS NOT INSURANCE and is not intended to replace health insurance. A discount plan provides discounts at participating providers and does not make payments to providers; the member pays the discounted fee. Discount plan organization: Careington International Corporation, 7400 Gaylord Parkway, Frisco, TX 75034. Discount plans are not ACA Qualified Health Plans.

How we're paid
We may receive compensation from some organizations we recommend. This does not change our evaluation of how they work. See our Referral Marketing Disclosure.

Not advice
This page is general information, not medical, legal, tax or financial advice. Prices are examples, not quotes; they depend on your household and can change. Affordable Healthcare Greensboro is not an insurance agency and does not sell insurance. We help individuals and families explore alternatives to insurance, including direct primary care, health care sharing and discount plans.