The North Carolina Healthcare Association represents the collective voice of more than 130 hospitals and health systems across our state. In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare environment, hospitals are responding to numerous challenges that impact our ability to meet our mission to provide quality healthcare to everyone in the communities we serve. We are ready to partner with lawmakers to ensure North Carolina’s hospitals and health systems have the financial stability and resources needed to continue responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19), prepare for the next emergency, and serve the everyday healthcare needs of their communities.
2023 Federal Legislative Priorities
The North Carolina Healthcare Association coordinates with the American Hospital Association to advocate for support from members of Congress on federal issues affecting hospitals and health care.
The following is a list of federal legislative priorities, and the associated position statements, that were approved by the Board of Directors for use during the 2022 Legislative Session:
Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) Reform
Graduate Medical Education
Home Hospital
Home Hospital is a promising model for health care organizations to deliver hospital-level treatment in a patient’s home. It is a safe and effective alternative for acute hospital care. A CMS waiver that enabled hospitals to be paid for Home Hospital during the pandemic boosted uptake of the program nationwide. NCHA favors establishing permanent Medicare coverage and fostering a supportive regulatory environment.
To learn more about CaroNova’s work with Home Hospital, click here.
Insurance for All
Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Payments
Pandemic All Hazards Preparedness Act Reauthorization (PAHPA)
As a nation we saw where our pandemic preparedness worked and where we had gaps. Reauthorizing PAHPA is a rare opportunity to improve public health policy. NCHA commends our delegation for playing a critical role in pandemic policy.
Price Transparency
North Carolina’s hospitals, health systems and providers strive to provide our patients and their families with accurate cost and quality information. Transparency should be limited to what helps patients and their care team make informed choices on their care. Furthermore, enabling regulations should be cognizant to not add to the already overwhelming and costly regulatory burden being carried by providers.
Site Neutral
North Carolina hospitals and health systems support variable reimbursement models that recognize the unique financial and charitable roll that hospitals play in the community and the fact that many patients who require hospital care have more complex health conditions.
Telehealth Expansion
The role of telehealth cannot be overstated in bringing care to communities who would otherwise be cut off from care; telehealth is a critical component of healthcare during the COVID-19 response and will be an essential component of care in the future. NCHA supports further protecting patients’ rights for telehealth coverage and expansion of broadband access to bring healthcare to every community.
340B Drug Discount Program
Small, rural hospitals’ thin margins – made even tighter by COVID-19 – make programs like the 340B drug pricing program even more important to provide needed medical care to our most vulnerable communities. NCHA is committed to building a stronger, more transparent 340B program that benefits patients who wouldn’t otherwise have access to high-quality healthcare.
2023 State Legislative Priorities
North Carolina hospitals and health systems are in the midst of transforming our delivery of care to respond to the changing needs of our state. Our goal is to provide the appropriate level of care in the appropriate setting with the best outcomes. North Carolina’s hospitals are open all day, every day. We support more than 395,000 jobs statewide and contribute billions to the economy every year.
The following is a list of state legislative priorities, and the associated position statements, that were approved by the Board of Directors for use during the 2022 Legislative Session:
Balance / Surprise Billing
Behavioral Health Reform
Certificate of Need Law
Research papers on Certificate of Need:
Image vs. Reality: Mercatus, CON and Statistics in Search of Meaning, May 2016
First Do No Harm: Analyzing the Certificate of Need debate in North Carolina, July 2015
“Why Repealing CON is devastating for North Carolina’s rural hospitals” (2021)
Video 1 (CarolinaEast), Video 2 (Southeastern)
Graduate Medical Education
Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program
Health Equity
Home Hospital
Home Hospital is a promising model for health care organizations to deliver hospital-level treatment in a patient’s home. It is a safe and effective alternative to acute hospital care. As hospitals treat more acute patients in their homes, potential patients with limited internet access are increasingly missing out. Furthermore, organizations developing programs will ultimately rely on consistent reimbursement. NCHA supports efforts to make Home Hospital more accessible and to guarantee all providers offering the program can be sufficiently reimbursed.
To learn more about CaroNova’s work with Home Hospital, click here.
Honoring Assignment of Benefits
Medicaid Expansion
Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina (data story)
Faces of the Uncovered (video)
What is HASP — and why does it matter for North Carolina? (article)
How expanding Medicaid will improve healthcare equity for all North Carolinians (article)
What can Medicaid expansion do for rural North Carolina? (article)
For the uninsured, Medicaid expansion in North Carolina could be life-changing (article)
Medicaid Managed Care
NCHA Medicaid Managed Care Toolkit
NCHA Medicaid Managed Care Call Center Resource Guide
NCHA Medicaid Managed Care Provider Resource Guide
NCHA Medicaid Managed Care Patient Resource Guide
(Spanish Version) NCHA Plan de Salud del Programa Medicaid de Carolina del Norte
Tax Treatment Preservation
North Carolina’s not for profit hospitals and health systems support the current non-profit sales and property tax laws and also support efforts to exempt non-profits from paying sales taxes.
Telehealth Expansion
Read about how NC hospitals are changing lives with telehealth services.
Transparency
White and Brown Bagging
Workforce
The North Carolina Healthcare Association provides legislative summaries for our member hospitals and health systems to keep them informed about the work we do on their behalf at the North Carolina General Assembly and in Congress.
To learn more about these priorities, please log in to NCHA Member Resources.
NCHA Contact
John Thompson
Vice President
Government Relations (State)
919-677-4119
jthompson@ncha.org
Nicholle Karim, MSW
Executive Director
Policy Development
919-677-4105
nkarim@ncha.org
Who Represents Me?
Committee Meeting Notices
NCHA will monitor and report on all committee action. For those interested in receiving NC General Assembly Committee notices, the information is here:
To subscribe to receive every committee notice for all 2023 House standing committees, visit All House Standing Committee Meetings.
To subscribe to receive every committee notice for all 2023 Senate standing committees, visit All Senate Standing Committee Meetings.
If you want to receive committee notices from one or multiple committees, you will need to subscribe individually to each 2023 standing committee.
All committee information, including links to sign up for “committee notices by email,” can be found at the Main NCLeg Committee Meetings page.
