SB 515 – Health Care Heroes Conscience Protection Act
Primary Senate Sponsors: Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Yancey); Sen. Warren Daniel (R-Avery, Burke, Caldwell); Sen. Norman Sanderson (R-Carteret, Craven, Pamlico)
Summary
This bill:
- Defines “conscience” as “the religious, moral, or ethical beliefs or principles held by any medical practitioner, health care institution, or health care payer” and/or “any published religious, moral, or ethical guidelines or directives, mission statements, articles of incorporation, bylaws, policies, or regulations published or created by institutional entities or corporate bodies.
- States that all medical providers, health care institutions, and health care payers have the right not to participate in or pay for any health care service which violates his, her, or its conscience.
- Provides civil, criminal, and administrative immunity for any provider, institution, or payer exercising his, her, or its right of conscience not to participate in or pay for a health care service.
- Prohibits discrimination against any provider, institution, or payer for refusing to participate in or pay for a health care service on the basis of conscience.
- Provides an exemption allowing any provider, institution, or payer that holds itself out to the public as religious, states in its governing documents that it has a religious purpose or mission and has internal operating policies and procedures that implement its religious beliefs to have the right to make employment, staffing, contracting, and admitting privilege decisions consistent with its religious beliefs.
Movement
Filed – 4/5/2021