Synopsis of article:
This essay will look at the history of certificate-of-need in Rhode Island, showing how its shortcomings were identified from a very early stage, and why its impact on cost has been minimal at best. In so doing, this essay will also attempt to explain why certificate-of-need remains an annual lightning rod for spirited legislative debate despite the fact (or perhaps because) it has been a greater force for preservation of the systemic status quo than would likely have been the case had no such law been enacted.
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