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Maine’s health care system is facing real challenges: rising costs, limited access to services, and delays in bringing new care options to communities. I believe one little-known but powerful contributor to these problems is Maine’s outdated certificate of need (CON) law.
Certificate of need was created decades ago to control costs, but today it often does the opposite. It can slow investment, discourage innovation, and make it harder for new health care facilities to open. Especially outpatient and ambulatory services. Those delays can translate into higher cost for employers and families and fewer options for patients.
LD 1890, now before the Legislature, takes a modest but important step towards modernizing this process. It reflects upon recommendations from a bipartisan legislative commission that spent several months studying how Maine reviews health care transactions. Their conclusion was clear: CON reform is needed to keep up with today’s economic realities and health care needs.
In addition to LD 1890, the commission recommended updating outdated cost thresholds, ensuring transparency when hospitals close major services, and requiring regulators to consider how projects affect affordability and access for all Mainers — not just the system itself.
Reforming certificate of need isn’t just about reducing oversight. It’s about making sure regulation works for our patients, workers, and communities, instead of against them. I believe lawmakers should seize this opportunity to bring Maine’s health care into the modern era.
Molly Curtis
Newburgh
