Healthcare Favoritism
Currently in the US, 35 states and the District of Columbia prohibit entry or expansion of healthcare facilities through “certificate-of-need” (CON) programs. These laws, which require government permission before a facility can expand, offer a new service, or purchase certain pieces of equipment, were enacted in the belief that restricting entry would lower health care costs, increase availability of these services to the poor, and improve hospital quality.
These regulations were initially enacted under the theory that unregulated market competition would drive medical providers to overinvest in facilities and equipment, raising the cost of medical care. However, Mercatus research on certificate-of-need laws finds that these regulations do little to increase access to healthcare for the poor, but they do indeed succeed in limiting the supply of healthcare services and are associated with lower hospital quality relative to non-con states.
Latest work in Healthcare Favoritism
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Mississippi's Certificate-of-Need Law
- | Certificate-Of-Need Laws 2017: How CON Laws Affect Spending, Access, and Quality across the States Certificate-Of-Need Laws 2017: How CON Laws Affect Spending, Access, and Quality across the States
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Certificate-of-Need Laws: Frequently Asked Questions
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Certificate-Of-Need Laws 2017: How CON Laws Affect Spending, Access, and Quality across the States
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Working Papers Working Papers
The Effect of Interest Group Pressure on Favorable Regulatory Decisions
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Barriers to Entry in the Healthcare Markets
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Amicus Briefs Amicus Briefs
Women’s Surgical Center v. Reese
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Anatomy and Atrophy of Medical Paternalism
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Illinois’s Certificate-of-Need Laws: Effects on Quality, Spending, and Access to Care
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Certificate-of-Need Laws: Are They Achieving Their Goals?
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Failure of Alaska’s Certificate-of-Need Laws
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Certificate-of-Need Programs Backfire
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
Let Nurses Do Their Jobs: Reform Scope-of-Practice Laws
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Scope-of-Practice Laws
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Failure of West Virginia’s Certificate-of-Need Program
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Do Certificate-of-Need Laws Reduce Spending?
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Health Care Laws You Should Be Paying Attention to (and Probably Aren't)
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Taxpayer Bailout of ACA Insurers Just Got a Lot More Expensive
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Pharmacists Can Provide the Right Prescription for a Projected Crisis in Health Care
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Medical Licensing Regulations Shrink Efficient Health Care
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Lessen the Pain of Health Care Costs
Latest work in Healthcare Favoritism
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Mississippi's Certificate-of-Need Law
- | Certificate-Of-Need Laws 2017: How CON Laws Affect Spending, Access, and Quality across the States Certificate-Of-Need Laws 2017: How CON Laws Affect Spending, Access, and Quality across the States
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Certificate-of-Need Laws: Frequently Asked Questions
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Certificate-Of-Need Laws 2017: How CON Laws Affect Spending, Access, and Quality across the States
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Working Papers Working Papers
The Effect of Interest Group Pressure on Favorable Regulatory Decisions
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Working Papers Working Papers
Barriers to Entry in the Healthcare Markets
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Amicus Briefs Amicus Briefs
Women’s Surgical Center v. Reese
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Anatomy and Atrophy of Medical Paternalism
- | Academic & Student Programs Academic & Student Programs
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Illinois’s Certificate-of-Need Laws: Effects on Quality, Spending, and Access to Care
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Certificate-of-Need Laws: Are They Achieving Their Goals?
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Failure of Alaska’s Certificate-of-Need Laws
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Certificate-of-Need Programs Backfire
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Mercatus Original Video Mercatus Original Video
Let Nurses Do Their Jobs: Reform Scope-of-Practice Laws
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Scope-of-Practice Laws
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
The Failure of West Virginia’s Certificate-of-Need Program
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | State Testimonies State Testimonies
Do Certificate-of-Need Laws Reduce Spending?
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Health Care Laws You Should Be Paying Attention to (and Probably Aren't)
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Taxpayer Bailout of ACA Insurers Just Got a Lot More Expensive
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Pharmacists Can Provide the Right Prescription for a Projected Crisis in Health Care
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Medical Licensing Regulations Shrink Efficient Health Care
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary