Dale Folwell Files the Medical De-Weaponization Act
North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Robbins Folwell filed House Bill 1039, or the Medical Debt De-Weaponization Act.
Folwell said that this is a pro-family, anti-poverty piece of legislation. It will require hospitals, hospital–affiliated clinics, as well as healthcare providers, and surgical centers, with annual revenues above $20 million as well as licensed healthcare professionals working in those organizations to disclose financial assistance and prices. In addition to this they will be required to provide minimum levels of free healthcare as well as prohibit certain collection practices.
More specifically some of the things the bill will provide is free and discounted care based on patient’s household income, requiring healthcare providers to determine whether the patient has health insurance and helping them apply for public or private insurance, or disclosing the gross charges for all healthcare services and amounts Medicare would reimburse for the same services.
Folwell said North Carolina’s state health plan is currently one of the largest on funded healthcare liabilities in our nation. It is estimated the health plan will need another 5 billion in appropriations during the next six years in order to be operable.
