In recent months, there has been a lot of discussion on the national stage regarding health care and health care reform in America. For that reason, I thought it would be a good idea to inform you about what we have done at the state level to improve health care for the people of North Carolina.
Despite a difficult budget situation this year, the House of Representatives worked to reduce overall healthcare costs by promoting wellness and prevention programs. We also worked to protect our citizens by improving patient safety, expanding access to health care for children, making structural improvements to the State Health Plan and addressing mental health needs. The following information highlights just some of the legislation that we have passed this session to help us achieve these goals.
I hope you will contact me if you have questions, or if I can be of service. Thank you as always for your support and your interest in our state.
Improving Health Care
_We passed a law that will result in smaller rate increases than originally projected for members of the State Health Plan, while also increasing the plan’s transparency (SB 287 – S.L. 2009-16). The new law reduces the premium rate increase for the next two years from 10 percent to 8.9 percent. It also adds coverage for treatment by chiropractors, mental health and substance abuse professionals and speech therapists and includes provisions to encourage plan members to stop smoking and to lose weight. The law calls for an independent audit of the plan, more detailed billing information, and increased disclosure of transactional data and administrative costs. The law also requires monthly financial reports and establishes a 15-member Blue Ribbon Task Force that will examine the plan’s rate structure and governance, among other things.
_Automated calls to protect the public health, safety, or welfare will be allowed under a new state law (HB 1034 – S.L. 2009-364). The system is intended to inform telephone subscribers that they have purchased products or medication that may be subject to a safety recall; that the telephone subscriber has not picked up a filled prescription drug or that an account maintained by the telephone subscriber may be subject to potential fraudulent activity. The calls could not be used for any commercial purposes.
_More local mental health agencies are now required to report how they are spending money twice a year under a new state law (HB 672 – S.L. 2009-191). The intent of the law is to require more transparency and accountability for state-funded mental health providers.
_A new state law directs the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, to take certain actions to improve supports for persons with developmental disabilities (HB 673 – S.L. 2009-186).
_We have passed a law that authorizes County Departments of Social Services to conduct follow-up monitoring of adult care homes (HB 1186 – S.L. 2009-232). The law is meant to improve patient safety by improving oversight of adult-care homes.
_We have passed a new law that will increase transparency of state facilities that provide mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services by requiring the disclosure of certain information about death reports, facility police reports, and incident reports (SB 799 – S.L. 2009-299).
Budget
The following information highlights just some of the ways that we have tried to preserve essential programs in Health and Human Services.
_Complete last phase of three-year takeover of Medicaid from counties, freeing money for local governments - $252 million
_We have expanded the Children’s Health Care Program (Health Choice) - $17 million
_We have provided additional funding to the State Health Plan to cover medical costs and to reduce the premium rate increase for the next two years from 10 percent to 8.9 percent. The General Assembly appropriated $250 million to cover the 2008-09 budget shortfall, $132 million for the 2009-10 fiscal year, and $276 million for the 2010-11 fiscal year.
_New local inpatient beds for the mentally ill to treat people closer to their homes and relieve state hospitals - $12 million
Miscellaneous
_The "Healthy Youth Act" has been signed into law (HB 88 – S.L. 2009-213). All students will now be exposed to both abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education. The law also allows parents to remove their children from any portion of the course.
_We have passed a law that prohibits smoking in bars and restaurants (HB 2 – S.L. 2009-27). The intent of the legislation is to protect North Carolinians from the harm of secondhand smoke. The law goes into effect January 1, 2010.
Prepared with the assistance of the Speaker’s Office of Communications
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Regular Reports On What Is Happening In the NC General Assembly of Interest to citizens in District 51 by Representative Jimmy Love
