Georgia lawmakers have recently passed House Bill 1339, which aims to loosen some aspects of the state’s healthcare permitting laws. The bill now awaits Gov. Brian Kemp’s approval or veto and includes provisions that would allow historically Black Morehouse School of Medicine to open a hospital in central Atlanta and permit hospitals to open in rural counties where a prior hospital has been closed for more than 12 months.
Certificates of Need (CON) laws, which have been in place in Georgia since the 1970s, require individuals or organizations seeking to build a health facility or offer new services to prove that an expansion is necessary. These permits are intended to prevent overspending that could increase healthcare costs. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has been working to cut back or eliminate these rules, believing they are a barrier to expanding quality healthcare.
The House and Senate disagreed on certain aspects of the bill, with the House rejecting Senate proposals to allow outpatient surgery centers to serve multiple medical specialties without a permit and new imaging centers to open without a permit. However, the House did agree to allow outpatient birthing centers to open without permits and to allow new hospitals to be built in counties with less than 50,000 residents under certain conditions.
Overall, the goal of House Bill 1339 is
