Writing in STAT News, Americans for Prosperity’s Sofia Hamilton and Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s Thomas Kimbrell discuss how certificate of need (CON) laws restrict access to quality and affordable healthcare, particularly affecting rural areas. “States with these laws have 30% fewer rural hospitals and 13% fewer rural ambulatory surgical centers,” the authors write.
CON laws require state government approval for the establishment or expansion of healthcare facilities, services, or equipment. These certificates act as a government-mandated permission slip that individual healthcare providers, physician groups, hospitals, and health systems must obtain before they can care for patients.
“Essentially, CON laws empower bureaucrats to decide what healthcare services are offered instead of that decision being driven by patients’ needs,” the authors explain. They argue that maintaining CON regimes benefits incumbent providers financially at the expense of the health and safety of rural communities. “Maintaining CON regimes at the behest of incumbent providers will only enrich their bottom lines at the expense of the health and safety of rural communities,” Hamilton and Kimbrell conclude.
For more information on this topic, read the full op-ed at STAT News.
