GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2017

H                                                                                                                                                   D

HOUSE BILL DRH30371-MRa-104   (04/06)

Short Title:      Health Insurance State Mandates Study/Funds.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Representatives Blackwell, Lambeth, Collins, and Hardister (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to create the Joint Legislative Committee on state‑Mandated Health Insurance Coverage Requirements.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  There is established the Joint Legislative Committee on State‑Mandated Health Insurance Coverage Requirements (Committee). The Committee shall consist of nine members as follows:

(1)        Four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(2)        Four members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

(3)        The Commissioner of Insurance, or the Commissioner's designee, serving ex officio as a nonvoting member.

Members serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer and continue to serve until a successor is appointed. Vacancies on the Committee shall be filled by the same appointing authority making the initial appointment.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall each designate a member to serve as a cochair of the Committee. The Committee shall meet upon the joint call of the cochairs.

A quorum of the Committee is five voting members. The Committee, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all powers provided for under G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4. The Committee may meet in the Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. The Committee may contract for professional, clerical, or consultant services as provided for under G.S. 120‑32.02.

The Legislative Services Commission, through the Legislative Services Officer, shall assign professional staff to assist the Committee in its work. The House of Representatives' and the Senate's Directors of Legislative Assistants shall assign clerical staff to the Committee. Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel expenses at the rates set forth in G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate.

SECTION 1.(b)  The purpose of the Joint Legislative Committee on State‑Mandated Health Insurance Coverage Requirements shall be to study all health insurance mandated coverage requirements imposed by the State upon health insurance sold in North Carolina. For the purposes of this act, the term "coverage requirements" includes benefits specific to care, treatment, and services, as well as benefits relating to coverage of provider types, cost‑sharing, or reimbursement methods that an insurer is required to offer.

The Committee shall include in its study the following issues:

(1)        Identification of all coverage requirements imposed by the State upon health insurance sold in this State.

(2)        The cost to employers and individuals of State‑mandated health insurance coverage requirements.

(3)        The cost to insurers of adding coverage requirements to health benefit plans, including the costs of modifying existing plans to include new State‑imposed mandates.

(4)        The cost efficiency of the State‑mandated coverage requirements identified by the Committee.

(5)        A consideration of whether each State‑mandated coverage requirement identified by the Committee remains necessary or whether the mandate for that coverage requirement could be removed.

SECTION 1.(c)  The Joint Legislative Committee on State‑Mandated Health Insurance Coverage Requirements may issue an interim report of its findings and recommendations, including any legislation necessary to implement those recommendations, to the 2018 Regular Session of the 2017 General Assembly upon its convening. The Committee shall issue a final report of its finding and recommendations, including any legislation necessary to implement those recommendations, to the 2019 Regular Session of the General Assembly upon its convening. The Committee shall terminate upon filing its final report or upon the convening of the 2019 General Assembly, whichever is earlier.

SECTION 2.  There is appropriated the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) to the General Assembly for the 2017‑2018 fiscal year to contract for consultant services, as provided for under G.S. 120‑32.02, to assist the Joint Legislative Committee on State‑Mandated Health Insurance Coverage Requirements, created under Section 1 of this act, in conducting its work.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2017.