HEALTH CARE
House moves Blue Cross, credit union, PBM bills
With crossover looming just a week away, the scramble to get bills through at least one chamber of the General Assembly before the deadline well and truly began on Thursday.
Senate mulls antitrust exemption for UNC Health
Senators are weighing a rewrite of the basic governance rules for the UNC Health System that will give it an antitrust exemption and cuts anyone it hires after Nov. 1 out of the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System.
Blue Cross bill starts moving toward a vote
Legislation giving Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina permission to transfer assets to a new nonprofit holding company cleared its first hurdle Tuesday, albeit in a way that suggests the road ahead has at least a few potholes.
Senate bill proposes restrictions on microchipping humans
Media reports suggest at least 11 states have banned employers from forcing their workers to get microchipped. A bill filed in the N.C. Senate just before the Easter holiday would add North Carolina to the list.
SAVE Act reintroduced for 2023 legislative session
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has renewed the drive to give advanced practice nurses greater freedom to practice in their areas of speciality without physician supervision.
Insurance Dept. seeks rewrite of CCRC law
At the behest of the N.C. Department of Insurance, legislators this year may completely rewrite the statute that establishes the regulatory framework for North Carolina's 63 licensed community care retirement communities.
More doctors needed
Current estimates suggest East Carolina University can start construction late in 2024 on the Brody School of Medicine's new, $215 million home, but campus and UNC System leaders say there's no time like now to begin expanding the school's roster of trainees.
Medical marijuana bill clears its first committee hurdle
Sen. Bill Rabon's medical marijuana bill cleared its first committee hurdle on Tuesday and is likely to get a floor vote in the chamber early next week, provided the timetable he sees ahead for it holds.
Blue Cross goes to court
To the surprise of no one, particularly in state Treasurer Dale Folwell's office, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C. is taking its fight to keep the contract for serving the State Health Plan to the courts.
Treasurer targeting hospital executive pay
State Treasurer Dale Folwell plans to turn up the heat again on the state’s hospitals at a 10 a.m. press conference today, issuing a report criticizing executive compensation at the state’s nine largest hospital systems.
House to vote next week on Medicaid expansion bill
The House plans to vote next week on expanding Medicaid, but it’s unclear if the legislature is any closer to reaching a compromise that can pass both chambers.
State Health Plan details reasons why Aetna beat Blue Cross
State Treasurer Dale Folwell’s team released public records Tuesday that detailed how Blue Cross Blue Shield lost its contract administering the State Health Plan.
Newborn 'surrender' law getting an update
Senators want to tweak the state’s “safe surrender” law that allows parents of newborns to give up their babies without facing criminal penalties.
All Democrats co-sponsoring abortion bill
In an indication that Republicans could have a hard time recruiting a Democrat to support new abortion restrictions, legislative Democrats announced Tuesday that every single member of their caucuses – including moderates recently named to chair key House committees – are co-sponsoring bills to codify abortion protections from Roe v. …