When it comes to health care, it's not often that the Trump administration agrees with — and recommends — reforms called for by the Obama administration.
Yet that's exactly what the Trump administration did this week when it called on states to "repeal or scale back" Certificate of Need laws that in 2016 the Obama administration said "create barriers to entry and expansion (for hospitals and other health care providers), limit consumer choice, and stifle innovation."
We can see the pernicious effects of CON laws here in the Capital Region. Before it can begin construction on a proposed ambulatory surgery suite, Albany Medical Center needs to gain approval from two committees and the state's commissioner of health. All of this to decide whether Albany Med can add a five-room suite in a building it already owns.
Even if Albany Med succeeds in pushing its application through, it will still face considerable opposition from its main competitor, Ellis Medicine. Ellis' CEO, Paul Milton, has been a vocal opponent of the proposal, arguing that Albany Med is looking to "disrupt the balance of care" provided by his company.
Continue reading the entire piece here at the Albany Times Union
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Tim Rice is deputy director for health policy at the Manhattan Institute. Follow him on Twitter here.
This piece originally appeared in Albany Times Union