Michelle Crouch/The Charlotte Ledger/NC Health News
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If you’ve ever been hit with a slew of confusing bills after a hospital stay, had a long wait for an insurance approval or struggled to pay an unexpectedly high medical bill, you know how frustrating health care in North Carolina can be.In fact, by at least one measure, it’s the worst in the nation: A 2024 Forbes Advisor analysis found that the state had the highest average premium for employer-sponsored insurance that includes a worker and a “plus-one.”This session, under growing pressure from patients and health care providers, lawmakers in Raleigh are considering a series of bills designed to trim health care costs and improve access.
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A decision to halt seeking medical payments was praised by critics who have long said it’s not right for a publicly chartered, multibillion-dollar, nonprofit hospital to take patients to court for medical costs that are often out of their control.