Sen. Ralph Hise is a hero to us | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    It's very unlikely any of our readers know about HB 244. It passed the House Monday (7-2-12) in a 116-2 vote and it passed the Senate in June 43-0. On the surface it appeared to be a local bill dealing with three private schools being added to the State Health Plan. But a provision inserted by Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Avery, makes it one of the most significant bills passed in this session.

    Why? Simply because it opens a window into the State Health Plan. It does so by providing legal protection to whistle blowers.

    A number of health care providers in the state have ripped off the taxpayers of our state by overcharging patients covered by the State Health Plan. Since the state funds the plan for teachers and state employees, the taxpayers are the ones being ripped off.

    The bill simply provides that if anyone reports such ripoffs that they cannot be sued.

    That not only is a good idea for the taxpayers but it hopefully shows that an overwhelming majority of our legislators are willing to open up the health care industry to greater transparency.

    We learned when covering the debacle that was the Beaufort County Hospital's being given to Vidant Health, that this is a common scam being run by a number of health care providers. Apparently a number of doctors are guilty also.

    What we learned was that doctors who have contracts with hospital systems and the hospital themselves have a common practice of entering into secret contracts. They got the law written in such a way as to allow them to do that. There is not excuse for it.

    "That's confidential medical information" should never be allowed to be used to deny a public records request only if no private, personal patient information would be exposed. We've never published such information and would never knowingly do so. But we have been denied access, on behalf of the public, to such things as the contract that the top hospital administrators have signed with hospitals that receive enormous tax money paid to them. That's not right. It should be changed.

    The only information that should be shielded should be personal patient medical records. We don't even believe that medical personnel records should be shielded. The public has a legitimate interest in knowing that medical personnel are competent and performing up to standard. It is unconscionable that confidentiality would protect a dangerous health provider. And obviously this confidentiality has cost the taxpayers millions, if not billions of dollars.

    Kudos to Sen. Hise. And we urge him to expand his efforts to shine some sunlight on the health care industry in our state. Taxpayers and patients will be better for it if he does.