North Carolina State Treasurer Dale Folwell threw his support behind a lawsuit that eye surgeon Jay Singleton, MD, filed challenging the state's certificate of need laws, The North State Journal reported Aug. 25.
Mr. Folwell said in an amicus curiae brief that the state's CON law violates multiple sections of the state constitution and gives existing large healthcare providers unfair advantages, the report said.
"As 'keeper of the public purse' and having responsibility for 750,000 members of the State Health Plan, I felt it was my duty to become part of Dr. Singleton’s lawsuit," Mr. Folwell said in a statement.
"CON laws are exactly what they sound like — a con," Mr. Folwell said. "Every year the hospital cartel, through the North Carolina Healthcare Association, prevents any meaningful change to CON laws."