GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Section 6 of Article V of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 1203.

House Bill 1203 would potentially require physicians to collect and report health care data concerning all procedures performed under general anesthesia.

I am concerned that this new reporting requirement unnecessarily burdens the Commonwealth's health care providers without providing corresponding benefits. The bill is particularly burdensome to Virginia physicians in private practice who do not have the resources necessary to comply with such an erroneous data collection regulation.

The Medical Society of Virginia, an organization which represents Virginia physicians, advises there is no clearly defined need for this data or how it will be used. Moreover, no public benefit has been demonstrated. Indeed, the very language of the bill suggests that such uncertainty as the third enactment clause requires a study of the bill's impact.

Like any other regulatory burden, this bill could increase the cost of each Virginian's health care. Given the substantial uncertainty as to its purpose and effect, further study of these reporting requirements is needed before this type of legislation is enacted.

I note that the Joint Commission on Health Care has been given the task of developing a plan to deregulate Certificate of Public Need that will address issues related to licensure, oversight, and data collection needs. It would appear that a more efficient and effective data reporting system could arise from that effort, rather than the one proposed in House Bill 1203.

Accordingly, I am returning this bill without my signature.