No compromising on rural health care access

Some people believe that the rules of the free market should apply to health care. Others say that medical competition can lead to neither lower prices nor better access. Instead large health care companies can swoop in, undercut the community work of local providers and compromise patient care.

That simplifies complex regulatory arguments in Richmond over the state’s Certificate of Public Need program.

Because of COPN, those who want to bring a new medical facility to an area must prove to the state that the public needs that facility. This means that hospitals in rural areas, such as Augusta Health, can provide MRIs feeling fairly certain than an MRI-only facility won’t come to town offering lower-priced services and undercutting the hospital, which provides a myriad of services to paying and nonpaying customers.

We believe any short-term price breaks resulting from unregulated medical facility overbuilding could ultimately leave small towns with even less health care as the primary motivator becomes profit, not community need. Large health care conglomerates could locate here, make it difficult for Augusta Health to stay open, and then leave if the whims of the market so dictate.

Much to our relief, bills to eliminate the COPN have failed in this year’s General Assembly.

However, some bills that aim to phase it out, remove mental health facilities from the process or streamline applications have made it through committee and are headed to the full House of Delegates floor.

Reform to regulation that left the federal books in 1987 is an understandable goal, especially when it involves the ever-changing complexities of health care.

We, though, are dubious, especially of legislation where “reform” equals “repeal.” Anything that reduces health care access in small towns is the last kind of reform Virginia needs. Our region’s legislators should remember that during the coming debate.

Our View represents the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board, Roger Watson, president and publisher; David Fritz, executive editor; and Deona Landes Houff, community conversations editor.