North Carolina Senate approves bill requiring medical transparency bill

RALEIGH, N.C. — A bill that would restrict the practice of surprise billing by hospitals passed the North Carolina Senate Thursday — an effort to require more transparency for patients.

The bill, which passed with a vote of 44-2, aims to give people a better idea of what a medical procedure might cost them before they agree to it, to give patients more certainty over whether their care will be in-network or out-of-network, and to stop new bills from continuing to arrive months or even years after the fact.

The proposal would also add requirements to insurance companies’ utilization review processes, including a three-day timeline for prior authorization. However, it doesn’t go as far as some House Republicans have proposed in overhauling the prior authorization process.