Brooks Pierce Capital Dispatch: Updates from the NC General Assembly and Governor’s Office, May 27, 2022

Legislators began considering bills this week as the summer session moved into its second week.

Senate Health Care Bill

Republican Senate leaders unveiled a health care bill (H 149) this week that includes expanding Medicaid insurance coverage, which is a long-time priority of Gov. Roy Cooper.

The bill would do a number of things including:

• Expand Medicaid coverage for adults age 18 to 64 with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level who comply with certain work requirements. The proposal would expand coverage to an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 people in addition to the 2.7 million North Carolinians currently covered by Medicaid. The federal government pays 90% of Medicaid and North Carolina’s 10% share would be paid through an assessment on hospitals and other funds;
• Reduce the number of facilities and equipment purchases by hospitals and other medical providers that are subject to certificate of need laws;
• Broaden the scope to allow certain nurses to practice without a physician’s formal supervision;
• Require health insurers to cover more telehealth services; and
• Require in-network health care facilities to alert customers when out-of-network providers are scheduled to provide certain types of care.

The bill cleared two Senate committees this week—Health Care and Finance. It will next be heard in the Senate Rules Committee. Senate leaders have indicated they intend to pass the bill through their chamber. In recent interviews, House Speaker Tim Moore has indicated that his chamber may not consider the bill during this summer’s session.

State Budget Bill

Legislators continue to work on a budget bill for FY 23, which begins July 1. It would alter the two-year budget (S.L. 2021-180) enacted in Nov. 2021, which covered both FYs 22 and 23. It appears the bill will surface as a conference committee report that has been agreed to in advance by the two chambers and cannot be amended.

Farm Bill/Regulatory Reform Bill

Two bills that surface annually started moving this week. One is the 2022 Farm Act (S 762), which amends a number of laws related to agriculture. The other is a Regulatory Reform bill (H 911) that amends various laws related to state agency regulations. Both bills passed two committees this week and will next be heard in the Senate Rules Committee, which is the last stop prior to going to the Senate floor.

For more information, contact a member of the Brooks Pierce Government Affairs Team.