Does the Certificate of Need Law Benefit West Virginia?

Joe Letnaunchyn, CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association, responds to the continuing discussion on the pros and cons of certificate of need regulatory oversight in West Virginia. The commentary, Certificate of Need Program Benefits West Virginia, appears in the most recent edition of the State Journal.

Mr. Letnaunchyn responds to the commentary by Dashle Gunn Kelley, dated October 30 2008, State Doesn't Need Certificates of Need, asserting that West Virginia "doesn't need certificates of need" to deliver health care. Mr. Kelley is a doctoral student in economics at West Virginia University and is an associate fellow for the Public Policy Foundation of West Virginia.

Throughout the year the Select Committee D - Health (Subcommittee Certificate of Need) - Interim has been looking at the issues involving certificate of need in West Virginia. Highlights of the Interim Meetings can be found here. I suspect that the discussion and debate will continue at the upcoming West Virginia Legislative session.

UPDATE (12/19/08): The latest edition of the State Journal contains a follow up commentary on West Virginia's certificate of need program. The commentary, Who Really Benefits from the Certificate of Need Program? was written by Russell S. Sobel, Ph.D., is professor of economics, holder of the James Clark Coffman Distinguished Chair at West Virginia University and editor of the book "Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity Stops at the West Virginia Border and How to Fix It."