Legislation pre-filed in South Carolina's Senate would restore funding for the state's certificate of need program, funding that was vetoed by Governor Nikki Haley (R) last summer, according to a report in The Greenville News.
After the law lost funding last year, South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control suspended the program. However, state law still requires hospitals and medical facilities to acquire a CON before building, expanding, offering a new service or buying new medical equipment that costs more than $600,000, leaving hospitals in a state of limbo and unsure how to proceed with expansion projects.
State Senator Joel Lourie (D-Columbia), who pre-filed the legislation, did so to allow providers in the state to move forward with their plans. "Healthcare planning and construction has been stuck in neutral since the governor’s veto in July," Sen. Lourie told The Greenville News. "We have hospitals and other providers waiting to invest close to $200 million in capital in South Carolina. This has an enormous impact on our economy and the quality of healthcare we deliver to our citizens," he said.
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