GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

S	1 

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 1108

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Sponsors: Senators Forrester; Richardson, Walker, Marvin, Carpenter, Ballance, and Carter.

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Referred to:  Appropriations.

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June 2, 1992

A JOINT RESOLUTION TO CREATE THE INDEPENDENT COMMISSION ON ACCESS TO PRIMARY CARE TO STUDY THE SHORTAGE OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS IN RURAL NORTH CAROLINA AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THE STUDY.
Whereas, across North Carolina many residents are facing an access to health care crisis; and
Whereas, getting needed care requires access to both health insurance and health care providers (physicians); and 
Whereas, the General Assembly has created the Access to Health Insurance Study Commission to study the first component of the shortage crisis; and 
Whereas, the General Assembly has a responsibility to play a major role in alleviating the access to health care crisis, which is really a maldistribution of physicians with 26 entire counties and 19 other counties either have no generalist physician or have severely limited access to a generalist physician, with approximately 1.2 million North Carolinians not having a generalist physician in their town or county; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
Section 1.  The Commission on Access to Primary Care is created.  "Primary care”means the practice of general family medicine, general internal medicine, or general pediatric medicine.
Sec. 2.  The Commission shall study the issues involved with the critical shortage of primary care physicians and the impact of this shortage on the access to health care.  In conducting its study and making its recommendations, the Commission may consider:
(1)	The shortage of primary care physicians.
(2)	The impact of the primary care physician shortage on the health care delivery system, particularly in the rural and underserved areas of the State.
(3)	The recommendations of the Joint Report of The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, The Pediatric Society, and The Society of Internal Medicine entitled:  "The Crisis in Access to Health Care."
(4)	The actions taken by other states who have faced similar problems attracting generalist physicians which could be implemented in North Carolina.
(5)	Programs and strategies for medical education that the State could implement on a short-term basis and a long-term basis.
(6)	Recommendations for legislative policy and actions that would be implemented or enacted to address the shortage.
Sec. 3.  The Commission shall have 18 members appointed in the following manner:
(1)	The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be appointed as cochair of the Commission.
(2)	The President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint three members of the Senate, one of whom shall be appointed as cochair of the Commission.
(3)	The General Assembly shall appoint the following members upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in accordance with G.S. 120-121:
a.	Four primary care physicians who are currently practicing medicine in the State of North Carolina, with one each appointed from the following organizations: The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, The Society of Internal Medicine, The Pediatric Society, and The North Carolina Medical Society;
b.	One representative of a constitutent institution of the University of North Carolina which has a medical school; and
c.	One representative of The University of North Carolina.
(4) 	The General Assembly shall appoint the following members upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in accordance with G.S. 120-121:
a.	Three chairpersons of medical school departments from medical schools located in North Carolina representing the following disciplines:  one from a Department of Family Medicine, one from a Department of Internal Medicine, and one from a Department of Pediatric Medicine;
b.	One representative of The Area Urban Education Center; 
c.	One representative of The Office of Rural Health; and
d.	One dean of a medical school located in North Carolina.
Sec. 4.  The legislative members of the Commission shall receive per diem and reimbursement for travel expenses in accordance with G.S. 120-3.1.  Public members of the Commission shall not receive subsistence, per diem, or travel expenses.
Sec. 5.  The Commission shall submit its report, findings, and recommendations to the General Assembly prior to the first day of the 1993 Session of the General Assembly.
Sec. 6.  The Commission may accept gifts, grants, donations, or contributions from any source.  These funds shall be kept in a separate account and used solely in furtherance of the study.
Sec. 7.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Legislative Services Commission the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the 1992-93 fiscal year to fund the study conducted by the Commission on Access to Primary Care created by Section 1 of this act.
Sec. 8.  This act is effective upon ratification.