North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H473 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	H 1
4		-	HOUSE BILL 473
	3	+	H D
	4	+	HOUSE BILL DRH30082-MGa-68
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: Right to IVF. (Public)
8		-	Sponsors: Representatives Helfrich, Cohn, Pittman, and Prather (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10		-	Referred to: Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11		-	March 24, 2025
12		-	H473 -v-1
	9	+	Sponsors: Representative Helfrich.
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRH30082 -MGa-68
13	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
14	14		AN ACT PROTECTING THE RIGHT TO ACCESS ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE 2
15	15		TECHNOLOGY; AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF 3
16	16		HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DIVISION OF HEALTH BENEFITS, TO 4
17	17		INCREASE FUNDING FOR MEDICAID MATERNAL SUPPORT SERVICES. 5
18	18		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
19	19		7
20	20		PART I. RIGHT TO ACCESS ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY 8
21	21		SECTION 1. Chapter 90 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Article 9
22	22		to read: 10
23	23		"Article 1O. 11
24	24		"Assisted Reproductive Technology. 12
25	25		"§ 90-21.160. Definitions. 13
26	26		The following definitions apply in this Article: 14
27	27		(1) Assisted reproductive technology. – All treatments or procedures that include 15
28	28		the handling of human oocytes or human embryos, including in vitro 16
29	29		fertilization, gamete intrafallopian transfer, and zygote intrafallopian transfer. 17
30	30		(2) Health care provider. – Either of the following: 18
31	31		a. An individual who is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized under 19
32	32		this Chapter to provide health care services in the ordinary course of 20
33	33		business or practice of a profession or in an approved education or 21
34	34		training program. 22
35	35		b. A health care facility licensed under Chapter 131E of the General 23
36	36		Statutes to provide health care services to patients. 24
37	37		The term "health care provider" includes (i) an agent or employee of a 25
38	38		health care facility that is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized to 26
39	39		provide health care services, (ii) the officers and directors of a health care 27
40	40		facility, and (iii) an agent or employee of a health care provider who is 28
41	41		licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized to provide health care services. 29
42	42		(3) Health care service. – A health or medical procedure or service rendered by a 30
43	43		health care provider that meets either of the following criteria: 31
44	44		a. Provides testing, diagnosis, or treatment of a health condition, illness, 32
45	45		injury, or disease. 33
46	46		b. Dispenses drugs, medical devices, medical appliances, or medical 34
47		-	goods for the treatment of a health condition, illness, injury, or disease. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 House Bill 473-First Edition
49		-	"§ 90-21.162. Right to access assisted reproductive technology. 1
50		-	Neither the State nor any of its political subdivisions shall prohibit, unreasonably limit, or 2
51		-	interfere with any of the following: 3
52		-	(1) The right of a patient to access assisted reproductive technology. 4
53		-	(2) The right of a health care provider to provide or assist with the provision of 5
54		-	evidence-based information related to assisted reproductive technology. 6
55		-	(3) The right of a health care provider to perform or assist with the performance 7
56		-	of assisted reproductive technology. 8
57		-	"§ 90-21.164. Fertilized human egg or human embryo not a human being. 9
58		-	A fertilized human egg or human embryo that exists in any form outside of the uterus of a 10
59		-	human body shall not, under any circumstance, be considered an unborn fetus, an unborn child, 11
60		-	a minor child, a natural person, or any other term that connotes a human being for any purpose 12
61		-	under State law. 13
62		-	"§ 90-21.166. Construction. 14
63		-	Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prohibit the enforcement of health and safety 15
64		-	laws related to the operation of health care facilities or the provision of health care services by 16
65		-	health care providers." 17
66		-	18
67		-	PART II. INCREASE FUNDING FOR MEDICAID M ATERNAL SUPPORT SERV ICES 19
68		-	SECTION 2. Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund to 20
69		-	the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits, the sum of five 21
70		-	hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal 22
71		-	biennium to be used to increase funding for Medicaid maternal support services, also known as 23
72		-	the Baby Love Program. These funds shall provide a State match for nine hundred thirteen 24
73		-	thousand dollars ($913,000) in recurring federal funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal 25
74		-	biennium, and those federal funds are appropriated to the Division of Health Benefits to be used 26
75		-	for this same purpose. 27
76		-	28
77		-	PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 29
78		-	SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 30
79		-	law. 31
	47	+	goods for the treatment of a health condition, illness, injury, or disease. 35
	48	+	"§ 90-21.162. Right to access assisted reproductive technology. 36
	49	+	H.B. 473
	50	+	Mar 20, 2025
	51	+	HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	52	+	Page 2 DRH30082-MGa-68
	53	+	Neither the State nor any of its political subdivisions shall prohibit, unreasonably limit, or 1
	54	+	interfere with any of the following: 2
	55	+	(1) The right of a patient to access assisted reproductive technology. 3
	56	+	(2) The right of a health care provider to provide or assist with the provision of 4
	57	+	evidence-based information related to assisted reproductive technology. 5
	58	+	(3) The right of a health care provider to perform or assist with the performance 6
	59	+	of assisted reproductive technology. 7
	60	+	"§ 90-21.164. Fertilized human egg or human embryo not a human being. 8
	61	+	A fertilized human egg or human embryo that exists in any form outside of the uterus of a 9
	62	+	human body shall not, under any circumstance, be considered an unborn fetus, an unborn child, 10
	63	+	a minor child, a natural person, or any other term that connotes a human being for any purpose 11
	64	+	under State law. 12
	65	+	"§ 90-21.166. Construction. 13
	66	+	Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prohibit the enforcement of health and safety 14
	67	+	laws related to the operation of health care facilities or the provision of health care services by 15
	68	+	health care providers." 16
	69	+	17
	70	+	PART II. INCREASE FUNDING FOR MEDICAID MATERNAL SUPPORT SERVICES 18
	71	+	SECTION 2. Effective July 1, 2025, there is appropriated from the General Fund to 19
	72	+	the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits, the sum of five 20
	73	+	hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal 21
	74	+	biennium to be used to increase funding for Medicaid maternal support services, also known as 22
	75	+	the Baby Love Program. These funds shall provide a State match for nine hundred thirteen 23
	76	+	thousand dollars ($913,000) in recurring federal funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal 24
	77	+	biennium, and those federal funds are appropriated to the Division of Health Benefits to be used 25
	78	+	for this same purpose. 26
	79	+	27
	80	+	PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 28
	81	+	SECTION 3. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 29
	82	+	law. 30