State Treasurer Brad Briner and the State Employees Association of North Carolina are supporting a New Bern ophthalmologist’s attempt to overturn the state’s certificate of need law.
In a court filing last week, they argued that the law is a barrier to slowing medical-cost increases in the State Health Plan.
They want more members of the plan to be treated at lower-cost facilities like independent clinics, because hospitals often charge more for the same types of services.
But Briner said the certificate-of-need law makes that harder.
Ophthalmologist Jay Singleton filed a lawsuit in 2020 challenging the state’s laws that require him to secure a government-issued certificate of need before performing most eye surgeries at his vision center.
The law forces Dr. Singleton to perform most surgeries at New Bern’s Carolina East Medical Center at significantly higher costs to the patient.
