UPDATE HB 4013 was defeated on a 12-10 vote Tuesday evening in the House of Delegates Health Committee.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State lawmakers are considering a bill that would remove a possible barrier for West Virginia hospitals dealing with a surge of COVID-19 patients and staffing shortages.
H.B. 4013, which would eliminate the state’s certificate of need program, was before the House Health and Human Resources Committee Tuesday.
Dr. Patch Adams, a physician and social activist, testified at the state Capitol in support of the repeal. He said he hopes to build a 40-bed primary care facility in the Pocahontas County town of Hillsboro without the state’s help.
“Everything will be free, so it won’t cost West Virginia anything,” Adams said on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
.@realpatchadams is in Charleston to testify at a hearing at the State Capitol today in support of getting rid of the Certificate of Need process for health care facilities in the state. He gives his reasoning to @HoppyKercheval. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/vjWHNmpmCT
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) February 1, 2022
Adams said all their funding would come from private donations. Staff would treat patients locally and from across the world.
“It’ll be a rural primary care hospital. It’ll do some surgery. All the permanent staff will live together as a communal eco-village,” he said, adding medicine will be limited. “Doctors will be able to prescribe whatever they want when we open. I will never give a psychiatric medication because I would rather them explore mental health.”
Meanwhile, opponents of the bill believe that removing the certificate of need process could decrease the quality of care for vulnerable residents.
Jim Kaufman, president and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association, said the CON program provides planning and transparency. He said that’s appropriate given the amount of people who depend on Medicare and Medicaid statewide.
“While many argue that free market forces should be the dominant factor here, the reality is with 75 percent of our patients on governmental programs, health care is not a free market. It’s not a commodity. We treat everybody,” Kaufman said on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
What is the argument from the Hospital Association for the Certificate of Need process? Jim Kaufman, President and CEO of @WVHospitals, talks about the argument with @HoppyKercheval. pic.twitter.com/qRn0l2kJEy
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) January 31, 2022
Supporters believe the repeal would provide competition in select services with fewer costs. Kaufman said it could actually have a trickle down effect.
“If you erode the resources that the hospitals have, it’s going to eliminate other things that are high costs that nobody else wants to do like a NICU, a burn center, teaching programs or other community benefits that the community looks to the hospital to provide,” he said.
Adams was also a guest on Tuesday’s “580 Live” heard on MetroNews flagship station 580-WCHS in Charleston where he told host Dave Allen he believe more time should be spend with new patients.
“I like a 3-4 hour initial interview as a family doctor and it’s free,” Adams said.
Late actor Robin Williams portrayed Adams in the 1998 comedy-drama film “Patch Adams” for his silly personality and lifelong quest to change America’s healthcare system. Adams said that goal is still evident today.
“I have found that loving and play create friendships really quickly, so our hospital will be a nutty place,” he said.