Cancer Treatment Centers to pay $5 million into state indigent fund

Cancer Treatment Centers of America has agreed to pay more than $5 million into a state fund for indigent care as part of the organization’s expansion of its Newnan facility. There’s no apparent explanation for the payment in the Nov. 22 agreement between CTCA and the state’s Department of Community Health. But CTCA had been…

Georgia’s HIV problem hitting rural areas hard

This article is part of an occasional series on rural health care in Georgia. These articles are supported by a grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Metro Atlanta is often characterized as the epicenter of Georgia’s HIV crisis. Earlier this year, in fact, President Trump announced an anti-HIV plan targeting four populous counties in…

Georgia gets an ‘F’ grade in preventing preterm births

Johnecia Mason’s pregnancy was going along fine until at six months, she developed preeclampsia, a complication characterized by high blood pressure. Soon afterward, her son was born prematurely, at 26 weeks, weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces. He died in the hospital 12 days later. “It was very hard,’’ Mason says now. “He was our…

Too little? Kemp’s proposal on changing Medicaid takes flak

During his gubernatorial campaign last year and his first months in office as governor, Brian Kemp declared that he would not expand the state’s Medicaid program. And in the second half of his waiver proposals, announced Monday, Kemp stuck to that position. The Republican governor’s plan, by setting tough eligibility requirements, would lead to only…

From prices to website, Kemp waiver plan would revamp individual insurance market

Just one of Gov. Brian Kemp’s waiver proposals was unveiled Thursday. But that one part, announced at the state Capitol, is still a lot to grasp. The so-called 1332 waiver proposal is designed to make fundamental changes in the health insurance system for individuals and families in the state. The goal is to make coverage…

Uninsured rate for Georgia children shows troubling rise

Georgia had a spike in its rate of uninsured children between 2016 and 2018, according to a report released Wednesday. The state in 2018 had an uninsured rate among children of 8.1 percent, up from 6.7 percent two years before. Only Tennessee’s rise of 1.5 percentage points was a greater increase in the U.S. over…

Georgia declines in health ranking for women and children

A recent report ranks Georgia 40th among states on the health of women and children, down three spots from its 2018 ranking. The 2019 United Health Foundation report said among Georgia’s challenges are its high percentage of uninsured women, its low rate of prenatal care before the third trimester, and its low percentage of high school…

Hospital Outpatient Entrance Sign

Commentary: Reform drug discount program

Discounts on prescription drugs are a great thing for patients. They can also help hospitals. The 340B Drug Discount Program, in fact, requires drug companies to give deep price breaks to federally funded clinics and hospitals that serve many uninsured and vulnerable patients. But state Rep. Kim Schofield, in a new GHN Commentary, says some…

We must fix federal drug discount program

By State Rep. Kim Schofield Federally sponsored health care programs often start with the best intentions and have the potential to be successful in reducing the cost of quality health care across the nation. The 340B Drug Discount Program was created by Congress in 1992. The program requires that prescription drug manufacturers provide deep discounts…

State waiver proposal coming soon; hospital transparency rules unveiled

State officials are expected to have at least one health care waiver proposal ready for an agency board to consider in early November. The waiver development is a central part of Gov. Brian Kemp’s strategy to improve Georgia health care. The state has a high uninsured rate, and its health rankings on various measures lag…