The first certificate of need (CON) reform bill to surface in the General Assembly this year was prompted by a specific hospital project but would have statewide implications.
Senate Bill 99 would exempt parties wishing to build an acute-care hospital in a rural county from Georgia’s CON law, which requires applicants to show a need for any planned health-care facility in the community where they plan to locate.
The legislation would apply to counties with fewer than 50,000 residents. The bill's sponsor calls it an immediate way to expand health care into rural Georgia.
The state’s healthcare lobby opposes CON measures saying they will only add to the problem of staffing healthcare workers.
The committee did not act on the bill, holding it for consideration for potential action later in this year’s legislative session.
