Healthcare

HB 562, the Healthcare Investment Act, updates qualification standards for mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse professionals in North Carolina. It allows individuals with an associate degree in human services to qualify as Associate Professionals (with less than two years of experience) or Qualified Professionals (with two years of supervised experience). The bill also creates a new pathway for Qualified Substance Abuse Prevention Professionals (QSAPPs) to qualify with an associate degree and two years of supervised experience in addiction prevention - before completing a bachelor's degree. These changes will expand the pool of eligible professionals for state-funded services under the Commission for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services.

SB 177 expands North Carolina's Medicaid Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP) to include qualifying freestanding psychiatric hospitals, allowing them to receive increased reimbursements for services. The bill creates a new assessment (a fee) on these hospitals, calculated as a percentage of their hospital costs, to fund the program. To implement this, the state must seek federal approval from CMS to include psychiatric hospitals in HASP. This change directly affects all Medicare-certified, state-licensed freestanding psychiatric hospitals in North Carolina, requiring them to pay the new assessment while gaining eligibility for enhanced Medicaid payments.

This bill proposes to repeal North Carolina's Certificate of Need (CON) laws, which currently require healthcare providers to obtain state approval for certain projects. These projects include building new facilities, expanding existing services, or acquiring major medical equipment. By eliminating these requirements, the bill would remove a regulatory step for various healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and diagnostic centers, looking to establish or grow their operations. The bill achieves this by amending several state statutes to remove references to the Certificate of Need process.