Legislature 2008: Health Care Spending

West Virginia's doctors and hospitals may spend the upcoming session battling it out over the way the state regulates health care spending.

As The Associated Press' Tom Breen explains, the state now requires providers to obtain a "certificate of need" before they can expand services or facilities, or acquire new equipment.

The goal has been to "hold down health care costs while ensuring high quality and broad access to treatment," the article said. But some doctors argue the system unfairly favors hospitals, as in the case of the recent fight over CT scanners.

In their corner, the doctors have Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell, and executive director of their medical association.

‘‘So much of what we do as legislators in general is look to see if we’re out of step,’’ Jenkins told Breen. ‘‘Right now, we are in a minority of states with a very restrictive and comprehensive regulatory environment.’’

Breen also found that "36 states and the District of Columbia have some form of certificate of need process, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, although they vary widely in how far they go in regulation."

Defenders of the system include the state Hospital Association. ‘‘In spite of our poor health status, we are the 44th lowest in the country in terms of hospital expenses,’’ its legislative affairs director, Tony Gregory, told AP