Legislative Update: Budget May Be Ready Soon
Legislative leaders are optimistic that the budget conference committee will have their report to present to the full NC House and Senate by the end of this week or beginning of next week. This means it is possible this legislative long session could end by the July 4 holiday.
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) continues to monitor the outstanding legislation and budget provisions that could affect your practice. Those priority issues include:
- Removing the balanced billing provision that is part of SB629 Health Care Services Billing Transparency from the budget.
- Ensuring no additional physician mandates are included around the Health Information Exchange (NCHIE).
- Maximizing General Medical Education funding in the final budget.
- Funding for training and resources to address the state’s opioid abuse epidemic.
- Protecting physicians and physician assistants from onerous Medicaid reimbursement bureaucracy.
Go to our 2017 Legislative blog for a summary comparison of the House and Senate budgets and other legislation the NCMS is tracking.