Ernestine “Erma” Bryant likes her job, but the pay is a problem. She works in a caregiver role as a “direct support professional” in Tifton, helping people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities with basic functions such as dressing, bathing and eating. Bryant said it’s fulfilling work. “You can help people be successful — people…
Georgia had the third-highest number of people signing up for coverage during this year’s special enrollment period for the federally run health insurance exchanges. The state’s 147,000 enrollees were exceeded only by Florida and Texas among the 36 states that use the healthcare.gov enrollment platform, according to federal data recently released. Exchange enrollment — like open enrollment…
By Rebecca Grapevine and Andy Miller Just before Frank Berry left his job as head of Georgia’s Medicaid agency this summer, he said the state “will be looking for the best bang for the buck” in its upcoming contract with private insurers to cover the state’s most vulnerable. But whether the state — and Medicaid…
Georgia hospital officials were scrambling Friday to gauge the impact of President Biden’s order for health care workers to get vaccinated for Covid-19. The mandate would apply to health care facilities that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients – virtually all hospitals – as well as dialysis centers, surgery centers and home care operations. (Nursing homes…
Metro Atlanta hospital systems are uniting to deliver a public message about the increasingly grim picture on the COVID front lines. Representatives from the Wellstar, Piedmont, Emory and Grady systems – often competitors in non-pandemic times – along with those from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System, will address the media Thursday morning…
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…
Georgia is second to last among states in conducting comprehensive inspections of its nursing homes, according to a federal report. More than 90 percent of Georgia nursing homes had gone without a thorough inspection for at least 16 months as of May 31, the report found. Federal health agencies require these “standard surveys’’ to be…
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,…