Governor Fletcher spoke today at the groundbreaking for an ambulatory healthcare center in Nicholasville. In his remarks, he explained that Jessamine county will have to wait for a real hospital because if the state allowed one to go in too soon it could cause healthcare costs to increase.
He is right about the waiting. Certificate of Need laws will prohibit any expansion of healthcare services until all the Lexington hospitals can agree to allow a new hospital in the region. There is, however, no evidence that Certificate of Need laws lower healthcare costs. In fact, the opposite is true.
We keep hearing Kentucky is in a healthcare crisis. Certificate of Need is a part of the problem.
