The North Carolina Senate passed a budget proposal including an amendment to repeal the state's certificate-of-need laws, drawing criticism from hospital groups, according to Daily Advance.
Here are five things to know;
1. Jeffrey Sackrison, president of Windsor, N.C.-based Vidant Bertie Hospital and Edenton, N.C.-based Vidant Chowan Hospital, said repealing the legislation will not lower costs, which proponents are claiming.
2. Mr. Sackrison said the CON laws create obstacles for physicians that legislators need to address. However, he argued rural hospitals can provide services for residents in the area and therefore the surgery center would not be necessary to provide such services, according to Daily Advance.
3. Elizabeth City, N.C.-based Sentara Albemarle Hospital President Coleen Santa Ana also opposed the law, telling Daily Advance in an email that the law allows her affiliated hospitals to offer care despite patients' difficulty paying.
4. State Rep. Bob Steinburg, R-Chowan, said although he understands opponents' worries, he said he will likely support the repeal, choosing to vote "on the side of free enterprise."
5. Fairfax, Va.-based George Mason University researchers found North Carolina has the third most restrictive CON system in the nation. Currently, 37 states have such regulations.