HB 2278

ON MARCH 26, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2414, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, provide that any certificate of public advantage in effect on June 30, 2028, automatically expires. However, any pricing restrictions in a certificate of advantage remain in effect until the fifth anniversary of the expiration date or the date that a new inpatient acute care hospital opens in the geographic service area, whichever is earlier. After June 30, 2028, the attorney general must supervise any pricing restrictions still in effect, and the pricing res tr ictions may only be modified by the mutual written agreement of the attorney general and the entity subject to the restrictions. Present law authorizes a hospital to negotiate and enter into cooperative agreements with other hospitals in this state, if the likely benefits resulting from the agreements outweigh any disadvantages attributable to a reduction in competition that may r esult from the agreements. Parties to such an agreement may apply to the department of health for a certificate of public advantage governing that cooperative agreement.