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State Priority Issues
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 serve the everyday healthcare needs of their communities.
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 2023 Legislative Session:
Behavioral Health Reform
Everyone deserves access to high-quality healthcare, which includes behavioral healthcare. NCHA supports policies to improve access regardless of insurance status and dismantling the root causes of inequality for behavioral health patients.
Certificate of Need Law
NCHA supports the current Certificate of Need law and urges our legislators to protect the law, thereby protecting access to care for all. The Certificate of Need law ensures that hospitals and health systems maintain the resources to provide high-value care to all in our communities and to plan for global pandemics and natural disasters.
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
Every North Carolinian deserves access to highly trained doctors. North Carolina should continue funding medical education programs and explore ways to draw down more of our Federal tax dollars to add more slots to train medical students.
Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program
North Carolina hospitals and health systems supports the annual approval of the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP) in North Carolina that provides federal resources to increase Medicaid rates closer to the cost of providing care at no cost to the state.
Health Equity
North Carolina’s hospitals and health systems support work to provide care for all North Carolinians regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, insurance status, or income.
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.
Surprise Billing and Assignment of Benefits
North Carolina’s hospitals and health systems support measures to ensure that providers are reimbursed for care provided to patients who have insurance coverage and that patients are held harmless when an out of network provider is seen at an in-network facility.
- Protect patients from getting caught in the billing cycle by enforcing assignments of benefits, joining 32 other states.
- Protect patients from the unnecessary fear of medical bills when they visit an in-network hospital but see an out-of-network provider by holding them harmless while also enabling a fair negotiation between the providers and insurance companies.
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
NCHA supports further protecting patients’ rights for telehealth coverage and expansion of broadband access to bring healthcare to every community.
White and Brown Bagging
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