Repeal Certificate of Need

Americans for Prosperity is calling on the North Carolina Legislature to repeal Certificate of Need. 

North Carolina's CON laws denied access to more than a billion dollars worth of healthcare options to our citizens. North Carolinians are paying higher prices for medical care, getting less access while getting lower quality healthcare as a result. 

Underlying this unseen sum of deterred health care investment are prohibitive application costs, competitor opposition, and industry gatekeeping. The CON regime pits providers against each other to fight for government favor. Forced to apply for the same few opportunities, providers often oppose each other’s applications. Since 2020, competing providers have appealed $423 million in approved capital expenditures, embroiling these projects in litigation that unnecessarily prevents and delays the development of critical care provisions.

AFP Foundation estimates in a study that applicants paid an average fee of $13,000 per CON application. The application fee does not include the costs of legal representation or outside consultants to prepare applications and fend off opposition, which can balloon up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Americans for Prosperity is encouraging legislators to repeal Certificate of Need and allow North Carolinians to have access to a more competitive healthcare market which will drive cost down and improve access.