The bill proposes the termination of the West Virginia Health Care Authority and the repeal of the Certificate of Need (CON) program, effective January 1, 2026. Key provisions include the elimination of the requirement for health care facilities to obtain a certificate of need to operate in the state, as well as the transfer of the authority's remaining powers, assets, records, and employees to the Secretary of the Department of Health. The bill also mandates that any remaining balance in the "Certificate of Need Program Fund" be transferred to the General Revenue Fund after the termination date. Additionally, it introduces a summary review process for entities proposing additional behavioral health care services, replacing the previous CON requirement.

Furthermore, the bill enhances the role of the Secretary in overseeing health data collection and management, replacing references to the "authority" with "secretary" in multiple sections. The Secretary will be responsible for developing an integrated health data system, establishing minimum requirements for state health programs, and ensuring compliance with confidentiality provisions. The bill also streamlines the review process for cooperative agreements among health care providers, exempting agreements approved before January 1, 2026, from state and federal antitrust laws, while maintaining oversight of data collection and health information systems. Overall, these changes aim to simplify health care regulation in West Virginia and improve access to health services.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 9-5-19, 16-2D-1, 16-2D-2, 16-2D-4, 16-2D-5, 16-2D-16a, 16-29B-1, 16-29B-3, 16-29B-8, 16-29B-25, 16-29B-26, 16-29B-28, 33-15B-5, 51-11-4, 16-2D-3, 16-2D-6, 16-2D-7, 16-2D-8, 16-2D-9, 16-2D-10, 16-2D-11, 16-2D-12, 16-2D-13, 16-2D-14, 16-2D-15, 16-2D-16, 16-2D-17, 16-2D-18, 16-2D-19, 16-2D-20, 16-29A-20, 16-29B-2, 16-29B-5, 16-29B-5a, 16-29B-12, 16-29B-13, 16-29B-14, 16-29B-15, 16-29B-24, 16-29B-30, 16-29B-31, 16B-13-12, 16B-21-3, 49-2-124