SB 379 — Senior Care Assurance Act (North Carolina) — Summary
Status summary
- Title: Senior Care Assurance Act.
- Introduced/Filed: March 24, 2025 (sponsor listing shows March filings).
- Enacted: Signed by the Governor June 20, 2025. Effective date: September 1, 2025. (Act/chap. references in bill history.)
Purpose and intent
- Improve access to affordable, high‑quality health care for North Carolina residents age 65+ by expanding preventive and chronic‑disease services under Medicaid, strengthening telehealth and remote‑care capacity for seniors, and funding community‑level programs that support senior preventive care and telehealth access—especially in rural and underserved areas.
Key provisions and programmatic changes
1. Medicaid coverage expansion
- Directs DHHS (Division of Health Benefits) to ensure Medicaid covers preventive screenings and chronic disease management services for beneficiaries age 65+, specifically calling out osteoporosis screening, medication management, cardiovascular assessments and specialized geriatric care.
Senior Preventive Health Grant Program
- Appropriation: $2,500,000 recurring per year for each year of the FY 2025–2027 biennium to the Division of Aging.
- Purpose: Competitive grants to health care providers that deliver regular health screenings, medication management, and geriatric consultations free to seniors at or below the federal poverty level.
- Priorities/limits: priority to rural/underserved providers; maximum grant $25,000 per grantee; up to 5% of funds may be used for program administration.
- Reporting: Division of Aging must report annually (by April 1 beginning April 1, 2027) to legislative oversight committees on expenditures, grantees, services delivered, numbers served, and other evaluation data.
Telehealth and remote care expansions
- Amends earlier telehealth infrastructure funding language to prioritize grants to rural providers that serve seniors; maximum grant per award is $250,000 (existing program allocations referenced).
- Senior Telehealth Assistance Program:
- Appropriation: $2,000,000 recurring per year for each year of FY 2025–2027 to Division of Aging.
- Purpose: Provide financial assistance to seniors for equipment, high‑speed internet, and other infrastructure to participate in telehealth.
- Priorities/limits: priority to rural/underserved seniors; cap of $1,000 per household; up to 5% of funds may be used for administration.
Administrative and timeline details
- Administering agencies: Division of Aging (grant/assistance programs) and Office of Rural Health (telehealth infrastructure grants).
- Appropriations take effect July 1, 2025 (program funding language) and the Act is effective statewide on Sept. 1, 2025.
- Grant program reports and program monitoring schedules are set (see reporting dates above).
Who is affected
- Direct beneficiaries: North Carolina residents age 65+ (Medicaid beneficiaries and low‑income seniors targeted for grants/assistance).
- Providers: primary care, geriatric specialists, rural clinics, and telehealth service providers who may apply for grants or participate in expanded Medicaid services.
- State agencies: DHHS (Div. of Health Benefits and Div. of Aging) and Office of Rural Health (administration, reporting, and grant oversight).
Potential fiscal impact
- Explicit appropriations included: $2.5 million recurring per year for preventive grants and $2.0 million recurring per year for senior telehealth assistance for FY 2025–2027; administrative set‑asides up to 5% for each program. Other telehealth infrastructure funds referenced in existing appropriations are retained/prioritized for senior services.
Notes and implementation considerations
- Emphasis on rural and underserved areas; programs include modest per‑grantee and per‑household caps to distribute funds across many providers/seniors.
- Agencies will need procedures for grant selection, eligibility verification, and outcome reporting as required by the Act.
- The bill also amends existing telehealth allocations and reporting language to align earlier telehealth funding with senior‑focused priorities.
