Here is what Governor Fletcher has to say when asked about competition for unions.   Shouldn't employers also have competition in the health care industry?    Jan 14, 2006 Video Requires Flash Media Player.  Posted with permission of WKYT TV in Lexington, KY. View Policy Report on Consumer Driven Health Care &  Certificate of Need\ Download Report - 570K PDF

Health care is one of the last industries where competition is discouraged for fear of escalation of costs.  The banking and the airline industry had similar protections.  These were removed decades ago with resultant benefits to the consumer. 

The premise behind Kentucky's current health care system is that corporations will pass on their savings gained from state granted monopolies to the consumer and not the stockholders or officeholders.   This is an honor system, since in health care there is no Public Service Commission.

Without competition high prices with low quality can occur.

However in health care, many states have a certificate of need which has the effect of blocking potential competitors from entering a market.   To learn more about this subject select the buttons to the right.

In 2004, the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice compiled an extensive report and after 27 days of testimony from 250 panelists, coupled with independent research, they reached the following as one of their conclusions:

"States should decrease barriers to entry into provider markets. States with Certificate of Need programs should reconsider whether these programs best serve their citizens' health care needs. The Agencies believe that, on balance, CON programs are not successful in containing health care costs, and that they pose serious anticompetitive risks that usually outweigh their purported economic benefits."