General Assembly Returns for 2019 Long Session

The NC General Assembly officially convened the 2019 legislative long session on Jan. 30.House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 3, “Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap,” were filed on the first day in the respective chambers by members of the Democratic Party. Both are considered “clean” expansion bills with the state share of the cost born by hospitals and health systems via an increased retention of assessment payments. For more details, see the latest issue of Advocacy Daily Update. This edition includes news from Washington, DC on a bill filed to limit surprise billing. The bill, H.R. 861, would limit out-of-network bills for patients who receive treatment in an in-network facility from out-of-network providers.