Displaying items by tag: certificate of need

SANFORD — There are plenty of places to eat in your town. There is no wait to speak of, either. But the local eateries just aren’t that appetizing. The food really isn’t that good; the service, less than ideal. Hence, when desiring a good meal out, you, and many of your neighbors, usually elect to make the drive across the county line to where the offerings are more to your liking. Updated menus, modern kitchens, great service, an experience, and recipes that hit the spot.

I’ve long thought the North Carolina General Assembly should reform our state’s archaic and anti-competitive requirement for certificates-of-need. In the post-COVID world we are entering, however, CON reform is no longer just a good idea. It’s an imperative.

RALEIGH — At least one judge considering the latest certificate-of-need case at the N.C. Court of Appeals sees a key problem with the state’s CON law.

RALEIGH — Cases involving a high-profile political activist and a controversial state medical regulation await the N.C. Court of Appeals as it returns to regular in-person hearings in August.

DURHAM — A Durham County Superior Court judge has dismissed a New Bern eye surgeon’s lawsuit challenging the state’s certificate-of-need law.

UNC Health wants to build a new hospital in Research Triangle Park. So does Duke University Health System.

If we substituted the names Saks and Nordstrom, Fresh Market and Whole Foods, or any other top-notch business competitors, potential customers would have reason to celebrate.

When it comes to our business climate and economic prospects, North Carolinians are used to receiving accolades. Let’s add another to the list. The Cato Institute just released a study of regulatory barriers facing entrepreneurs. North Carolina fared well in the analysis, ranking 12th-best in the nation.

RALEIGH — The Senate is close to approving a trio of health care bills aimed at reducing costs and increasing transparency in the system.

RALEIGH — Legislation introduced in this session of the General Assembly seeks to reduce restrictions created by certificate of need laws, which critics say reduce access to health care and increase costs.

Too many North Carolinians lack access to the medical services they need. One possible response, as we have heard incessantly for more than a decade, would be to expand Medicaid under the terms of the Affordable Health Act, with most of the expense to be borne by the (already heavily indebted) federal government.