Tennessee attempts to repeal CON legislation — 5 insights

A proposed Tennessee law would wholly phase out certificate-of-need laws over a five-year period if passed, local news affiliate WJHL.com reports.

What you should know:

1. It's unclear how many legislators support the bill, but at least one legislator is against it.

2. Sen. Rusty Crowe, R-Johnson City, who serves as the Senate Health and Welfare Committee chair, opposes the bill.

3. Mr. Crowe cited a commonly refuted theory that CON laws protect community hospitals by limiting new market entrants.

4. Johnson City-based Ballad Health — which employs Mr. Crowe as a consultant — issued a statement defending CONs, saying the laws protect the public from "for-profit and other organizations cherry picking profitable services, while leaving community hospitals to care for those with Medicaid or without the means to pay."

5. Several different forms of research have shown repealing CON laws increases both competition and quality of care.

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