The North Carolina General Assembly is in full swing for the 2019-2020 Session.  The big change this year is that the Republican leadership in the House and the Senate no longer have veto proof majorities.  NCASCA is closely monitoring the following bills this session for our members.  

HB 184- Study State Health Plan Design:  This bill was introduced to appoint an experienced committee to look at the State Health Plan and to develop a responsible way to reduce the costs for State Employees.  The State Treasurer has proposed significant cuts that would be very problematic for the State's hospitals, especially in the rural areas.

HB 173- Act to Exempt Ocular Surgery from CON Laws:  NCASCA has been carefully monitoring CON issues since it is a hot topic in health care.  This bill appears to be the first attempt to amend CON requirements.  After reviewing the facts and circumstances around this bill, we do not believe it will move very far in the legislative process.   

HB 70 Delay NC Health Connex for Certain Providers:  If you recall, NCASCA was successful in obtaining an extension for ASCs to begin submitting demographic and clinical data to the HIE network.  This bill is a vehicle for other healthcare providers are following our lead in trying to get extensions for their provider types.  NCASCA's goal is to get a permanent exemption for ambulatory surgical centers.    

HB 43-Establish Standards for Surgical Technology:  We have been working on this bill for two years to to ensure it is not overly burdensome to ASCs.  The idea behind the bill has merit, but we need to make sure there are no unintended consequences.  It does include language regarding exemption for rural areas and a grandfathering provision  However, we believe this language still needs additional work.