SHOCK VALUE A screenshot from a controversial TV ad opposing a bill that would repeal Virginia's CON law.

A battle over certificate of need laws in Virginia turned nasty when the state's hospital advocacy group rankled local Republicans with a television attack ad more suited for the bareknuckle brawl currently taking place among GOP presidential hopefuls.

The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association pulled the $200,000 ad campaign aimed at HB 193, a Republican-sponsored bill proposed to end CON regulations that require state approval for construction of new or expanded hospitals and surgery centers. Republican leadership believes CON laws limit local competition, while hospitals want to protect their turf from the overexpansion of facilities that compete for profitable patients.

Republican leaders were offended by the fear mongering and rhetoric of the 30-second spot, which features ominous music and seemingly exaggerated claims that repealing the state's CON laws would put lives at risk, eliminate emergency services, do away with healthcare jobs and cause hospitals to close, particularly those in rural parts of the state. The ads were also pulled from YouTube shortly after we posted this story.

With voiced-over statements such as "The General Assembly is voting on legislation that will financially ruin your local hospital" and "You'll pay more for medical care and get less," the ads ran in communities along Virginia's Tennessee and West Virginia borders.

A spokesman for the VHHA says the ad campaign concluded because the bill is up for vote this week in the House of Delegates. If the bill passes, it will head to the Senate for consideration. However, an e-mail reportedly sent by the president of the VHHA to its members notes the campaign was pulled in response to the GOP's displeasure with the tone and message of the ads.

"Demagoguing lawmakers and misleading their constituents is not how to have a productive conversation on such a significant issue," says a spokesman for House Speaker William J. Howell (R). "Everyone expects candid and frank discussion, but this approach will damage their relationship with legislators."

Daniel Cook