Opinion: Certificate of need laws con rural patients out of health care
News watchers around the U.S. have likely seen the warnings: without certificate of need (CON) laws, hospitals will be forced to close their doors when for-profit organizations open and cherry pick commercially insured patients, leaving those in rural areas without care. The reality is that even with certificate of need laws in place, rural patients are already without care. States with these laws have 30% fewer rural hospitals and 13% fewer rural ambulatory surgical centers.
CON laws require a state government to approve the establishment or expansion of health care facilities, services, or equipment. These certificates are essentially a government-mandated permission slip that individual health care providers, physician groups, hospitals, and health systems must obtain before they are allowed to care for patients. Essentially, CON laws empower bureaucrats to decide what health care services are offered, instead of that decision being driven by patients’ needs.
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