Georgia has a lot of great things going for it, including a vibrant economy. One thing that isn’t going very well is health care, according to a new GHN Commentary. Poverty, health disparities, physician shortages and a high level of uninsured people are some of the factors cited by Jack Bernard and Dr. Doug Skelton….
By Jack Bernard and Dr. Doug Skelton The results are in for all of America to see, and Georgia has finally made it . . . to very near the bottom of the pile. Shameful, but true. Georgia has a booming economy and is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. Possibly, this is…
Tens of thousands of Georgia teachers and state employees are getting good news on their health insurance costs for next year. Members of the State Health Benefit Plan will have the same monthly premiums, co-pays and deductibles in 2022 as they have now, the Department of Community Health (DCH) announced at an agency board meeting…
Plenty of shopping options, plus lower prices. That’s usually a winning formula for consumers. And that scenario describes how Georgia’s health insurance exchange is shaping up for individuals and families looking for coverage in 2022, according to initial filings by health insurers to the state’s insurance department. The filings were obtained by GHN through an…
A top Biden administration health official, visiting Gwinnett County in suburban Atlanta, said Monday that the FDA is relying on science and facts in its decision-making on giving full authorization to COVID-19 vaccines. As of now, COVID vaccines used in the United States have been authorized for emergency use. The wait for full authorization, though,…
UnitedHealthcare and Northside Hospital have signed a contract to bring all of Northside’s Atlanta-area hospitals into the insurer’s network. The two organizations announced their new deal Monday. The new contract restores United members’ access to Northside’s Lawrenceville and Duluth hospitals, which will also be part of United’s Medicare Advantage plans. The two hospitals had been out…
By Rebecca Grapevine Georgia is in line to recover $500 million from state Medicaid insurers for overpayments in 2020 and 2021, according to an insurance industry official who represents the companies. The half-billion-dollar payout will come from two separate Medicaid recoveries, said Jesse Weathington, the executive director of the Georgia Quality Healthcare Association. Due to the…
Just days before a contract cutoff date, UnitedHealthcare and Northside Hospital are moving toward a deal that would keep three of the Atlanta-based system’s hospitals in the insurer’s network. An agreement also would bring Northside’s hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth back into the insurer’s fold after five months out of network, a UnitedHealthcare official said….
Georgia officials have pushed back against a federal health agency’s request for more financial information on the state’s insurance waiver plan. A letter dated July 2 says that Georgia’s approach to replace the Affordable Care Act’s healthcare.gov enrollment set-up with a privately run process has already been approved by the feds. The Georgia “Section 1332’’ waiver has…
Frank Berry is retiring after six years of heading the state’s main health care agency. He will be replaced by Gov. Brian Kemp’s deputy chief of staff for operations, Caylee Noggle, who will take over as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) on July 1. Berry, 55, has been Community Health commissioner…