House OKs bill to eliminate CON for hospitals

A House healthcare subcommittee moved a bill to eliminate “certificates of need” for all hospital services. The bill does not eliminate CON for nursing homes or hospices where there has been a flurry of interest after a long-time moratorium on the construction of new nursing home beds was lifted. HB 31A was opposed by the Florida Hospital Association, whose lobbyist Bill Bell testified that most states still maintain CON for hospitals and, more specifically, the states surrounding Florida have CON…