NC Senate approves bill to cut healthcare costs by curbing government mandates

The North Carolina Senate approved Senate Bill 24 Wednesday evening, a measure aimed at curbing the state’s high healthcare costs by requiring any new government health insurance mandate to be offset by the repeal of an existing one.

The measure passed by a vote of 30-15 with all Republican voting in favor of it and just three Democrats casting ‘aye’ votes; Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake; Sen. Paul Lowe, D-Forsyth; and Sen. Gladys Robinson, D-Guilford.

“I think we all understand that when something is mandated, it increases costs,” said Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon told colleagues during committee meetings on the bill last week. “And we saw that happen with the Affordable Care Act, we saw prices essentially double within a very short period of time; that folks were getting tax credits for that to make up for that. But the point is, the actual cost of health insurance goes up every time you mandate it.”

The legislation comes in response to a recent Forbes study that ranked North Carolina as the worst state in the nation for healthcare costs. Proponents argue that excessive government mandates contribute to rising premiums, placing a financial strain on employers—particularly small businesses.

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

The bill, which now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration, would also require any legislation imposing new mandates to include recurring funding for the State Health Plan or relevant state agencies.

Currently, 58 government health insurance mandates exist in North Carolina. If passed, SB 24 would ensure that any future additions do not contribute to increased costs without an offsetting repeal.

A companion bill in the House, HB46, is currently before the committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House.