Connecticut Tries (Again) to Regulate Urgent Care Centers

Connecticut lawmakers apparently think “If at first you don’t succeed…” is the perfect approach to slapping licensing fees on the urgent care industry. Democrats in the state House of Representatives have inserted a provision in the current proposed budget that would require all urgent care centers there to carry a distinct license. The problem (for them) is, they don’t have an abiding definition of what constitutes an urgent care center. Currently, the law views urgent care centers simply as “physician practices.” The governor’s office and other proponents of the measure say it’s not about raking in fees, but proper regulation, promoting public health, and trying to control healthcare costs. Similar efforts tried in the past have failed to gain adequate support in Connecticut.