(The Center Square) — A Georgia Senate committee will explore whether or not the state will have to amend its certificate of need requirement.
Leading up to this yr’s consultation, Americans for Prosperity-Georgia introduced a six-figure marketing campaign to inspire lawmakers to repeal the CON requirement.
During this yr’s legislative consultation, state Sen. Ben Watson, R-Savannah, offered Senate Bill 162, a measure to repeal Georgia’s CON requirement. The Senate didn’t advance the measure however did move SB 99 to scrap CONs for rural hospitals; it additionally signed off on Senate Resolution 279 to create the Senate Study Committee on Certificate of Need Reform.
“As a primary care physician for the past 35 years, I have seen firsthand the adverse effects CON can have on healthcare costs and access through reduced competition,” Watson mentioned in a remark. “The Senate body has seen the growing need for CON reform and it is clear that there is much work to do to address how these laws are preventing rural Georgians from receiving care.
“Our function is to lend a hand Georgia voters get the healthcare they deserve, all whilst making sure that there’s wholesome pageant within the healthcare box,” Watson added. “Through the find out about committee, my colleagues and I will be able to be in a position to get the entire image from mavens and witnesses around the state.”
The General Assembly established Georgia’s CON program in 1979, though state officials started reviewing healthcare projects in 1975. Opinions abound on whether to repeal the CON requirement.
The Medical Association of Georgia has previously indicated that the CON requirement is “anti-competitive,” while the president of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals said eliminating the CON requirement would “destabilize hospitals” in the state.
“The Georgia Senate made nice strides through bringing the need for CON reform to the vanguard all through the 2023 consultation,” Tony West, deputy state director for AFP-GA. “Unfortunately, neither SB 99 or SB 162 made it to the Governor’s table.
“By some estimates, Georgia requires a CON for 22 different services or equipment. Understandably, new hospitals are often at the forefront in discussions of CON reform, but other services like obstetrics, psychiatric services, rehabilitation, and substance abuse treatment shouldn’t be forgotten in these deliberations,” West added. “Georgians are equally harmed by CON restricting the supply of these services, and hopefully this Study Committee can build a consensus in support of a comprehensive and patient-centered approach to CON policy.”
State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, will chair the find out about committee, which is able to cling hearings throughout The Peach State. The committee, comprised of seven state senators and 5 non-elected representatives who’ve served in govt roles all the way through the well being gadget, will probe the professionals and cons of the CON.
“Expanding access to healthcare and reviewing how the current certificate of need laws are hindering this process will be a focus of this study committee,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones, who introduced the appointments, mentioned in a news unencumber. “The appointees are experts on this issue.”
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