Healthcare

passed · North Carolina · House Apr 30, 2025

HB 163: Pharmacy Benefits Manager Provisions.

HB 163 regulates Pharmacy Benefits Managers (PBMs) to ensure fair practices for pharmacies and insured individuals. The bill prohibits PBMs from charging insurers more for a prescription drug than they pay the pharmacy (spread pricing) and requires patient out-of-pocket costs to be based on the net price after any PBM concessions. It establishes minimum reimbursement standards for pharmacies, preventing PBMs from paying less than the national average drug acquisition cost plus a dispensing fee. Additionally, it clarifies that PBMs cannot restrict accredited pharmacies from dispensing specialty drugs and strengthens audit protections for pharmacies.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareProhibits spread pricing and mandates fair reimbursement for pharmacies, lowering patient costs and ensuring access to medications within healthcare services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 30, 2025

HB 107: Adopt Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Awareness Week.

House Bill 107 designates the second week of November each year as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Awareness Week in North Carolina. Additionally, it encourages local boards of education to develop and offer seizure awareness training for school personnel who are responsible for students with epilepsy or who are otherwise predisposed to seizures. This training aims to provide school staff with information to support these students.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareDesignates SUDEP Awareness Week and mandates school seizure training, advancing public health education for epilepsy management.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 30, 2025

HB 152: Access to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

HB 152 aims to regulate how health benefit plans in North Carolina cover Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) services. If an insurer chooses to cover TMS, the bill requires them to cover all procedures performed by properly licensed healthcare providers, regardless of their medical specialty, as long as TMS is within their scope of practice. It prohibits insurers from penalizing providers solely based on their specialty when submitting TMS claims. However, the bill maintains that insurers retain discretion over whether to cover TMS, for which conditions, and at what reimbursement rates.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates insurer coverage of TMS procedures without specialty restrictions, expanding access to mental health services under health insurance regulations.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 592: Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act of 2025.

House Bill 592, known as the Toxic-Free Medical Devices Act of 2025, aims to prohibit the use of a chemical called DEHP in certain medical devices within North Carolina. Specifically, it bans the manufacturing, selling, and distributing of intravenous solution containers and intravenous tubing that are intentionally made with DEHP. The prohibition for IV solution containers takes effect on January 1, 2030, and for IV tubing on January 1, 2035. The bill also prevents replacing DEHP with other similar chemicals in these devices and sets limits for unintentionally present DEHP, while exempting certain blood-related products. Violations of these provisions could lead to administrative penalties.

Topics ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBans DEHP, a hazardous chemical in medical devices, reducing environmental pollution and protecting public health through stricter hazardous substance regulation.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBans DEHP in medical devices to protect patient safety, directly addressing health services and medical equipment safety per bill summary and subjects.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 123: Criminal Falsification of Medical Records.

HB 123 makes it a crime for health care providers to willfully destroy, alter, or falsify medical records to conceal medical errors causing patient harm, illegally obtain money, or hide facts related to potential legal claims. It creates specific criminal penalties: a serious felony for hiding errors that caused injury or death, a lesser felony for financial gain, and a misdemeanor for other concealment. The law applies to all health care providers and becomes effective December 1, 2025. It explicitly states this does not affect existing civil remedies available to patients.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill protects patient rights by criminalizing falsification of medical records that conceal errors causing harm, directly addressing healthcare transparency and safety standards.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 10, 2025

HB 397: Use of Epinephrine Nasal Spray.

HB 397 allows schools in North Carolina to use epinephrine nasal spray as an emergency treatment option alongside traditional auto-injectors for students experiencing anaphylaxis. The bill amends school health policies to include nasal spray devices in the definition of "epinephrine auto-injector delivery systems," requiring all schools to maintain at least two emergency epinephrine supplies (now including nasal spray) in secure but accessible locations. Schools must train staff to recognize anaphylaxis symptoms, store devices properly, and follow emergency action plans developed with school nurses. This applies to public schools, charter schools, and regional schools starting in the 2025-2026 school year. The policy directly affects school staff, students with severe allergies, and school health protocols.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enhances school safety protocols for student health emergencies, directly supporting student well-being and access to education through updated health policies.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands emergency anaphylaxis treatment options in schools by including epinephrine nasal spray, improving student access to life-saving care and aligning with public health goals.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 9, 2025

HB 160: Joel H. Crisp Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) Awareness Law.

HB 160 requires North Carolina's University of North Carolina School of Medicine Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) to create and share evidence-based information about sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) with all healthcare practitioners in the state. This includes current risk factors, conditions, and contact details for epilepsy support organizations, available on NC AHEC's website. Healthcare providers treating epilepsy patients will directly receive this standardized resource, which must be compiled by consulting medical boards and professional societies. NC AHEC must report the completed resource to the legislature by September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires evidence-based SUDEP education for healthcare providers, enhancing public health awareness and provider knowledge per NC AHEC's health education mandate.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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passed · North Carolina · House Apr 3, 2025

HB 71: Respiratory Care Modernization Act.

HB 71, the Respiratory Care Modernization Act, updates North Carolina's laws governing respiratory care practice. It creates a new "Advanced respiratory care practitioner" (ARCP) category for licensed professionals with postgraduate training, requiring Board-endorsed competency for advanced procedures. The bill clarifies that ARCPs cannot diagnose, prescribe, or perform invasive procedures without physician supervision, while defining their scope to include cardiopulmonary care and tasks delegated by physicians. This directly affects respiratory care practitioners and patients by standardizing advanced practice rules and ensuring procedures align with current professional standards. The changes aim to reflect modern respiratory care practices without altering basic licensing requirements.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareCreates new ARCP category with defined scope for advanced respiratory care, expanding qualified practitioners' roles under supervision to improve access to specialized services within healthcare framework.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Healthcare

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