A bill pending in the Georgia General Assembly would exempt health care providers looking to build medical facilities from certificates of need if they plan to open up in rural Georgia counties with less than 50,000 people.

Certificates of Need have come under fire from some conservative lawmakers who say that it prevents health care providers from being competitive.  Others say that certificates of need actually encourage health care providers to build health care facilities in rural areas instead of more affluent areas.

Senate Bill 99 would exempt parties wishing to build an acute-care hospital in a rural county from Georgia’s  law, which requires applicants to show a need for any planned health-care facility in the community where they plan to locate.