DOVER, DE — The Delaware State Senate Republican Caucus issued the following statement declaring support for ChristianaCare’s recent lawsuit challenging House Bill 350.
“On July 29, 2024, ChristianaCare, Delaware’s largest hospital system, announced that it had filed a lawsuit challenging the provisions added to Delaware Code via House Bill 350 (HB 350). The Delaware State Senate Republican Caucus supports the lawsuit and ChristianaCare’s intention to overturn the new law.
“From the time HB 350 was introduced, our caucus argued the legislation and the Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board it establishes would place undue burdens on Delaware’s private hospital systems. Our members raised constitutional concerns, particularly regarding the unelected board that will allow the state government to oversee the budget and financial processes of Delaware’s non-profit hospitals. As seen in other states, such as in Vermont with its Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB), healthcare costs have continued to rise while qualified healthcare professionals have opted to leave. Recently, a consultant issued a report to the GMCB stating that if significant changes were not made in the near future, Vermont’s healthcare systems would become ‘financially unsustainable by 2030’.
“Our caucus maintains the same concerns we had throughout HB 350’s rushed legislative process. We are hopeful that ChristianaCare’s lawsuit is successful so that Delaware’s hospital systems do not experience the same crises seen in Vermont and elsewhere.”
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