Rep. Joe John

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill requires health insurance plans sold in the state to cover transcranial magnetic stimulation services without denying, reducing, or limiting reimbursement for properly submitted claims. It specifically protects licensed healthcare providers from being penalized based on their medical specialty when submitting these claims. To support this change, the state will allocate one million dollars to the North Carolina State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees to ensure compliance. The law takes effect on October 1, 2024, for new, renewed, or amended insurance contracts.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory to conduct a study on how proposed changes to the county tier designation system would affect the state's 100 counties. The study will examine potential adjustments to the criteria for ranking counties, the method used to assign tiers, and the timeline for these rankings. It will also assess how these changes impact state programs, business operations, and the accuracy of identifying distressed areas using current data. Funded with $100,000, the Collaboratory must submit a preliminary report by December 31, 2024, and a final report by December 1, 2025, to legislative oversight committees.

Maddy summaryThis North Carolina bill establishes a legal mechanism to hold manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) financially responsible for cleaning up contaminated drinking water. It defines "responsible parties" as companies that produce PFAS chemicals and orders them to pay for the actual costs public water systems incur to remove or fix contamination that exceeds safety limits. If a manufacturer refuses to pay, the state can take legal action in court to enforce the order, and the bill allows water systems to lower future customer rates if they recover these costs. The legislation also creates a special fund with initial funding to support implementation and requires the state to report annually on how these funds and enforcement orders are used.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires University of North Carolina schools with large enrollments to play football and basketball games against each other and against smaller UNC schools. It mandates that big schools play at least one game per year against other large UNC schools and every six years against smaller ones, alternating home and away matchups. The legislation also provides $1 million in funding to inform the public about these new competition rules, which would begin applying to the 2025-2026 academic year.

Maddy summaryHB 935 reorganizes the Advisory Council on Rare Diseases in North Carolina by moving it from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill establishes a 19-member council composed of physicians, researchers, patient advocates, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to advise state leaders on rare disease research, diagnosis, treatment, and education. Key provisions include setting specific term lengths for members, providing administrative support and funding for the council's operations, and requiring annual reports on council activities and recommendations.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact to allow physicians to obtain full, unrestricted medical licenses in multiple states more easily. It creates a streamlined application process for doctors who meet strict requirements, such as passing licensing exams within three attempts and having no criminal convictions or prior license discipline. The law clarifies that a physician must be licensed in the state where their patient is located during a medical visit and ensures that member states can still take disciplinary action against a doctor's license. Additionally, the bill includes provisions to provide practice authority for nurse practitioners and ensure flexibility for anesthesia services.