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See a roundup of other legislative actions, floor votes and a
list of new laws on the books
Read
an
op-ed column by Kirk on rising health care costs
House panel
debates Patients Bill of Rights
At
its regular meeting Tuesday, the House Health Committee heard
presentations on the House version of S. 199 Managed Care
Patients Bill of Rights. Urging the committee to favorably
report the legislation were House Majority Leader Phil Baddour
(D-Wayne); Speaker Pro Tem Joe Hackney (D-Orange); Alan
Hirsch, policy adviser to Gov. Mike Easley; and Rep. Larry
Justice (R-Henderson).
NCCBI President Phil Kirk was the only lobbyist to speak among
the 75 or so who packed the committee room. Kirk commended the
legislators and lobbyists who had worked over the past six
months on the bill. He said NCCBI supported the bill except
for the liability section, which expands the right to
sue.
”Now is not the time to increase the cost for employers who
provide health care coverage,” Kirk told the committee.
“HMOs are struggling financially. Many have gone out of
business. Health care costs are skyrocketing and you’re
getting ready to tax them.”
Kirk added, “It is incredulous that some claim expanding the
right to sue will not cause costs to go up for employers. That
defies logic and common sense.”
He told legislators that NCCBI realizes it is not their intent
for this legislation to cause more people to be uninsured.
“However, that will be the unintended consequence of your
action. Businesses – especially small ones – will drop
their coverage for their employees and others will not begin
covering their employees for the first time.”
Kirk urged the committee to let the bill’s external review
process work for a couple of years rather than adding to the
backlog in the court system while increasing health care
costs. “If external review doesn’t work, NCCBI will be
willing to look at liability again.”
The committee is expected to pass the bill next week and send
it to the House floor. The legislation is one of Gov.
Easley’s and the Democratic leadership’s top priorities.
The Senate unanimously passed a
similar bill in April. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North
Carolina supports the Senate bill, but a state association of
HMOs has released a study saying the legislation could raise
premiums statewide by between $19.4 million and $459 million a
year and cause between 4,400 to 44,900 people to lose their
company-paid health insurance.
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