Doug Aldeen – Healthcare Attorney
Sunday morning bathroom read (plus bonus Big Ten joke): Is the acronym “CON” (“Certificate of Need”) more accurately described as “Cannot Operate Nearby” ? Dale Folwell, the NC Treasurer, might be onto something………………….
“North Carolina’s CON law requires that health care providers that want to expand or open facilities in a particular area must first prove to the satisfaction of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services that the new or expanded service is needed by the community.
Ostensibly, the purpose of CON regulation is to limit spending and cost by discouraging providers from acquiring unnecessary medical equipment. However, studies show CON laws protect incumbent providers from competition rather than protecting patients and payers from unnecessary costs….
“As ‘keeper of the public purse’ and having responsibility for 750,000 members of the State Health Plan, I felt it was my duty to become part of Dr. Singleton’s lawsuit,” Treasurer Folwell said. “We spend $4 billion a year of taxpayer’s money providing medical and pharmaceutical coverage for those that teach, protect and otherwise serve the people of this state. CON laws are exactly what they sound like – a CON. Every year the hospital cartel, through the North Carolina Healthcare Association, prevents any meaningful change to CON laws. Now, we must go through the courts to achieve that change.”
Big Ten joke: Do you know what the “N” on the Nebraska football helmet means? “Nowledge….”
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