North Carolina 2025 Session Status: In Committee 3 D cosponsors

SB 976 — Reduce Healthcare Costs and Protect Patients.

Last action — Withdrawn From Com

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 30, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 20% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 3 sponsors

    0 primary, 3 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (3 D).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

19 added · 20 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the recent version of Senate Bill 976, a few lines were added and others removed to clarify the data reporting requirements for hospitals regarding pricing transparency and out-of-network providers. This change aims to ensure that patients better understand their financial obligations, making it easier for them to make informed decisions about their healthcare. Overall, these amendments emphasize the importance of transparency in healthcare costs, which can help reduce confusion and unexpected medical bills for patients.

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FILED SENATE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA Apr 30, 2026 S.B.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2025 S 1 SENATE BILL 976 Short Title:
976 SESSION 2025 PRINCIPAL CLERK S D SENATE BILL DRS45451-MGa-178 Short Title:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT REDUCING HEALTHCARE COSTS AND PROTECTING PATIENTS.
Rules and Operations of the Senate May 4, 2026 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT REDUCING HEALTHCARE COSTS AND PROTECTING PATIENTS.
and Whereas, many patients face unexpected medical bills due to a lack of disclosure about out-of-networkproviders and ageneral lack oftransparency in healthcarepricing, resulting in financial strain and hardship;
and Whereas, many patients face unexpected medical bills due to a lack of disclosure about out-of-networkproviders and a general lack oftransparencyin healthcarepricing,resulting in financial strain and hardship;
*DRS45451-MGa-178* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (b) In-Network Facilities.
*S976-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (b) In-Network Facilities.
MEDICAL DEBT PREVENTION SECTION 3.1.(a) Chapter 131E of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article 11C to be entitled "Fair Billing and Collections Practices for Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Facilities." SECTION 3.1.(b) G.S.
MEDICAL DEBT PREVENTION SECTION 3.1.(a) Chapter 131E of the General Statutes is amended byadding a new Article 11C to be entitled "Fair Billing and Collections Practices for Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Facilities." SECTION 3.1.(b) G.S.
Page 2 DRS45451-MGa-178 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (2) Commission.
Page 2 Senate Bill 976-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (2) Commission.
DRS45451-MGa-178 Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (c) The Commission shall adopt rules on or before March 1, 2016, to ensure that subsection (b) of this section is properly implemented and that hospitals report this information to the Department in a uniform manner.
Senate Bill 976-First Edition Page 3 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 (c) The Commission shall adopt rules on or before March 1, 2016, to ensure that subsection (b) of this section is properly implemented and that hospitals report this information to the Department in a uniform manner.
(1) The method by which the Department shall determine the 100 most frequently reported DRGs for inpatients for which hospitals must provide the data set out in subsection (b) of this section.
(1) The method bywhich the Department shall determine the 100 most frequently reported DRGs for inpatients for which hospitals must provide the data set out in subsection (b) of this section.
The rules shall include the Page 4 DRS45451-MGa-178 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 method by which the statewide data processor shall determine the 20 most common surgical procedures and the 20 most common imaging procedures for which the hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities must provide the data set out in subsection (d) of this section.
The rules shall include the Page 4 Senate Bill 976-First Edition General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 method by which the statewide data processor shall determine the 20 most common surgical procedures and the 20 most common imaging procedures for which the hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities must provide the data set out in subsection (d) of this section.
The Department shall remit the clear proceeds of civil penalties assessed pursuant to this section to the Civil Penalty and Forfeiture Fund in accordance with G.S.
The Department shall remit the clear proceeds of civil penalties assessed pursuant to this section to the Civil Penaltyand Forfeiture Fund in accordance with G.S.
… (8) Receive datarequiredto besubmittedbyhospitalsunder G.S.
… (8) Receive datarequiredto besubmittedbyhospitals under G.S.
131E-214.13(b) and by hospitals and ambulatorysurgical facilitiesunder G.S.
131E-214.13(b) and byhospitals and ambulatorysurgical facilitiesunder G.S.
DRS45451-MGa-178 Page 5 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 b.
Senate Bill 976-First Edition Page 5 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025 b.
– Upon request of any patient for a good-faith estimate for a shoppable service, the facility shall provide to the patient, in writing, at least three business days prior to the date the patient schedules the shoppable service, an itemized list of expected charges, in language comprehensible to an ordinary layperson, that the patient will be obligated to pay for all items and services related to the shoppable service.
– Upon request of any patient for a good-faith estimate for a shoppable service, the facility shall provide to the patient, in writing, at least three business days prior to the date the patient schedules the shoppable service, an itemized list of expected charges, in language comprehensible to an ordinarylayperson, that the patient will be obligated to pay for all items and services related to the shoppable service.
Page 6 DRS45451-MGa-178
Page 6 Senate Bill 976-First Edition
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Action History

  1. Withdrawn From Com

  2. Re-ref Com On Appropriations/Base Budget

  3. Passed 1st Reading

  4. Ref To Com On Rules and Operations of the Senate

  5. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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0 sponsors · 3 co-sponsors · 176 not signed on

Sponsors (0)

None.

Co-sponsors (3)

Not signed on (176)

176 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 176 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 976?
SB 976 is sponsored by Natalie S. Murdock (Democratic), Lisa Grafstein (Democratic), and Kandie D. Smith (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 976?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced April 30, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 976?
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