HB 349 updates North Carolina's requirements for healthcare powers of attorney (POA) and advance health care directives (like living wills). It clarifies witness and notary rules to prevent conflicts of interest (e.g., prohibiting facility staff from witnessing), standardizes forms for easier use, and allows electronic filing of directives with the Secretary of State’s registry. The bill directly affects residents planning ahead for medical decisions, ensuring their chosen agents or instructions are legally recognized. Key changes include revised witness eligibility criteria, simplified form language, and a new online filing option to improve accessibility. The bill does not alter medical care standards but streamlines the legal process for end-of-life planning.
HB 565 ("Check Yes, Save Lives") allows North Carolina taxpayers to register as organ donors by checking a box on their state income tax return, starting with tax returns for 2026 and later. This directly affects all North Carolina taxpayers who file income tax returns, providing a simple, automatic way to enroll in the organ donation program during annual tax filing. The bill amends tax and organ donation statutes to add income tax return enrollment as a valid method for making an anatomical gift (under Section 130A-412.7(1a)), while keeping existing options like driver's license or wills. It requires coordination between the Department of Revenue and Motor Vehicles to update the Organ Donor Registry, ensuring the tax-based enrollment is properly recorded. The policy change streamlines donor registration without altering the existing organ donation process or eligibility.
HB 727 modifies the licensure process for marriage and family therapists and therapy associates in North Carolina. It streamlines the process for professionals licensed in other states to obtain a North Carolina license through reciprocity, making it mandatory for qualified applicants. The bill adjusts experience requirements and expands acceptable examination options to include California's clinical examination. Additionally, it clarifies that all applicants, including those applying via reciprocity, must undergo criminal history record checks. These changes aim to facilitate licensing for out-of-state therapists while maintaining regulatory oversight.
HB 485 requires North Carolina's Medicaid agency to request federal approval to extend Medicaid coverage for personal care services to adults living in licensed adult care homes who earn more than the current State-County Special Assistance income limit but stay below 180-200% of the federal poverty level. The bill specifically targets individuals who would qualify for lower-income Medicaid assistance if not for their higher earnings. Before implementing this coverage, the agency must submit a CMS request meeting three conditions: covering the specified income group, ensuring cost savings offset new expenses, and complying with legal requirements. This bill does not immediately change coverage - it only authorizes a federal request, pending CMS approval.
HB 886 requires all public schools in North Carolina to install Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) and train school personnel on their use and on CPR. The State Board of Education must develop rules for AED placement, maintenance, and coordination with emergency services, with at least one AED per school, ideally in an athletic area. Local school boards, charter schools, and regional schools are then required to create policies aligning with these state rules. The bill appropriates $4.1 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to help public school units purchase AEDs and train staff.
This bill, titled Reagan's Law, aims to improve access to prosthetic and orthotic devices for North Carolinians with limb loss or limb difference by requiring most health benefit plans to cover these devices and related care. Key provisions mandate that plans cover all materials, instruction, and repairs for prosthetics and orthotics, allow for multiple devices based on medical needs, and prohibit denying claims for these devices that would otherwise be covered for non-disabled individuals seeking similar medical treatment. The legislation also requires insurers to provide coverage for device replacements when medically necessary due to changes in the insured's condition or device damage, without limiting coverage based on the device's age or useful lifetime. Additionally, the bill repeals state requirements for health plans to cover emergency care that duplicates federal law, aligning state regulations with federal standards.
House Bill 489 establishes a minimum reimbursement rate for emergency ambulance transportation services provided by out-of-network providers under health benefit plans. It mandates that insurers pay these out-of-network ambulance providers directly and sets a cap on the cost-sharing amounts that insured individuals must pay for these services. The minimum reimbursement rate is determined by local government rates, or if none, by comparing 400% of the Medicare rate to the provider's billed charges. This bill affects individuals needing emergency ambulance services, health insurers, and ambulance service providers, with an effective date of October 1, 2025, for new or renewed insurance contracts.
HB 572 authorizes the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to establish a statewide pilot program providing Electroencephalogram combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (eTMS) treatment. This program is for veterans, first responders, and their immediate family members experiencing conditions such as substance use disorders, mental illness, sleep disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and PTSD. The Department will select a provider to create a network for in-person and off-site care, aiming for statewide access. Participants in the program will also receive neurophysiological monitoring, counseling, wellness programming, and access to a peer-to-peer support network. The selected provider must collect and report treatment outcomes and expenditures to the Department and legislative committees by September 15, 2026.
House Bill 618, the "Ivermectin Access Act," directs the State Health Director to issue a statewide standing order that allows licensed pharmacists to dispense ivermectin for human use. Under this order, pharmacists would be authorized to provide ivermectin without requiring a written prescription or consultation from a healthcare professional. The bill also grants immunity from civil or criminal liability to the State Health Director for issuing the order and to any pharmacist who dispenses ivermectin in accordance with it. The State Health Director is required to issue this statewide standing order by October 1, 2025.
HB 567, titled "Ensure Access to Biomarker Testing," mandates that North Carolina health benefit plans provide coverage for biomarker testing for the diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of various diseases or conditions. This coverage is required when the testing is supported by medical and scientific evidence, such as FDA approval or nationally recognized clinical guidelines. The bill also prohibits insurers from denying coverage, raising premiums, or charging higher rates based on an individual's biomarker information. Additionally, it establishes a 24-hour timeline for insurers to complete utilization reviews for urgent healthcare services, aiming to improve access to diagnostic testing and care for North Carolinians.
