17 month moratorium on new hospital construction passes

The legislature is passing a 17 month moratorium on any new hospital construction.
The bill is addressing concerns that some legislators have voiced about physician owned hospitals.  When a physician or group of physicians owns a hospital they can pick and choose which services they would like to provide.  The worry is that the needs of some in the community couldn’t be met.
The bill faced strong opposition from Senator Tom White of Omaha, who says we already tell hospitals what to charge and they don’t need someone telling them what procedures to perform.
A statewide health study is also ordered in the bill to take a look at the state’s needs and come back with a new proposal once the moratorium is lifted.