The North Carolina Senate is considering legislation requiring health systems to submit merger and acquisition proposals for review by the state's attorney general, the Winston-Salem Journal reported Jan. 30.
Senate Bill 16, titled Preserving Competition and Health Care, comes after several high-profile North Carolina mergers and acquisitions in recent years. The bill stipulates that the attorney general would have 90 days to review each merger request.
Hospitals and health systems that fail to meet the terms of the proposed bill could face up to $1 million in penalties. If signed into law, it would become effective Dec. 1.