North Carolina lawmakers have introduced a bill to protect patients from surprise medical bills, according to public radio station WFAE.
The bill, introduced by state Sens. Ralph Hise and Joyce Krawiec, would require hospitals and other healthcare facilities to notify patients before they receive care from a provider who is not in their insurance company's network.
It also limits charges to patients from these out-of-network providers, according to the station.
The state already has some surprise-billing rules in place. WFAE reports that if patients receive a surprise medical bill after an emergency, they can call the North Carolina Department of Insurance for assistance in getting the costs taken care of.
Read the text of the bill here.