NC treasurer pushes for patient charity care in legislation

A North Carolina legislative committee has discussed a measure backed by Treasurer Dale Folwell that would require North Carolina’s hospitals to provide minimum levels of free or discounted care to low- and middle-income residents not covered by insurance. The bill is in part a response to a study examining charity care by the state’s largest nonprofit hospital systems. Folwell says patients are getting into medical debt that hurts their credit scores. The association representing North Carolina hospitals is taking no position on the bill but says laws already address issues in the measure. Chances for the bill to advance before this year's session ends appear small.