GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1987 SESSION
CHAPTER 733
AN ACT TO REGULATE THE ADVERTISING OF REDUCED OR DISCOUNTED FEES FOR SERVICES BY CHIROPRACTORS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1. G.S. 90-154.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 90-154.1. Collection of certain
fees prohibited.-(a)
Any patient or any other person responsible for payment has the right to refuse
to pay, cancel payment, or be reimbursed for payment for any service,
examination, or treatment other than the advertised reduced rate service,
examination or treatment which is performed as a result of and within 72
hours of responding to any advertisement for a free or reduced rate service,
free or reduced rate examination, or free or reduced rate treatment.
and is referred to in the advertisement.
(b) In any written
advertisement for a free or reduced rate service, free or reduced
rate examination, or free or reduced rate treatment by a
chiropractor, the language of subsection (a) shall appear in capital letters
clearly distinguishable from the rest of the text, and any
further treatment shall be agreed upon in writing and signed by both parties.
(c) In any broadcast
advertisement for a free or reduced rate service, free or reduced
rate examination, or free or reduced rate treatment by a
chiropractor, the language of subsection (a), or accurate summary of that
subsection, following shall be read at the conclusion end of
the advertisement: 'By law, any person who responds to this
advertisement for a free or reduced rate service, examination or treatment and
is billed for any service, examination, or treatment other than the advertised
reduced rate service during the responding visit may refuse to pay, cancel
payment, or be reimbursed for any payment made for the billed service,
examination, or treatment.'
(d) Any bill sent to a patient or any other person responsible for payment as a result of the patient responding to a chiropractic advertisement shall clearly contain the language of subsection (a) and have distinguished such on its face the charge for the reduced rate services, including an itemization of free services, and the separate charge for any services, examinations or treatments other than the advertised free or reduced rate services, examinations, or treatments. The reduced rate charges shall be labeled 'Free or Reduced Rate Charges' and any other charges shall be labeled 'Non-advertised Services, Examinations, or Treatments'."
Sec. 2. This act shall become effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 6th day of August, 1987.