A bipartisan North Carolina Senate bill would require health-care systems to submit acquisition and merger proposals for state attorney general review before reaching any agreement, The Winston Salem Journal reports.
Senate Bill 16, “Preserving Competition and Health Care,” was filed this week. Mark Hall, a professor of Law and Public Health at Wake Forest University, said SB16 “aims to give the attorney general more authority to block changes in hospital ownership or control that are contrary to the public’s interest, and more authority to monitor ownership changes for any negative effects on health care costs, quality or accessibility.” Read more.