North Carolina Senate Passes Bill to Rein in Healthcare Costs

Raleigh, N.C. — Today, the North Carolina Senate approved Senate Bill 24, which seeks to rein in the sky-high costs of healthcare in the state.

A recent Forbes study found that North Carolina was the worst state in the nation for healthcare costs.

The bill requires legislation seeking to impose new government health insurance mandates to also remove at least the same number of current government mandates. There are currently 58 government health mandates in the state.

Government mandates play a role in increasing the cost of healthcare across the state because they lead to higher premiums. Those higher premiums place undue financial burdens on employers, particularly our small businesses.

“Every day, families across North Carolina are facing tough choices because of high healthcare costs,” bill sponsors Sens. Jim Burgin (R-Harnett), Amy Galey (R-Alamance), and Benton Sawrey (R-Johnston) said. “It’s incumbent on us to find ways to bring down those costs for families, and Senate Bill 24 is just that.”

Senate Bill 24 also requires any bill establishing a government mandate to include the necessary recurring funding for the State Health Plan or relevant state agency to cover the costs.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.