As the latest Covid surge intensifies, state Public Health officials are running an “isolation hotel’’ for virus patients who are homeless or in living situations where disease spread is more likely. State health officials said Wednesday that the metro Atlanta facility, which was not identified, has capacity for 50 people, along with additional space in…
Major happenings in health care didn’t cease over the holidays. The news, in fact, exploded – in both familiar and surprising directions, including an unusual twist in the Northside Hospital vs. Anthem contract dispute. It started, of course, with the latest on the Covid-19 pandemic. The state last week reported daily totals of new Covid…
Part 5 of a Special Report The concept isn’t exactly new. Free-standing ERs — affiliated with hospitals but not physically connected to them — have cropped up in many areas, generally in suburban or urban locations where large numbers of local residents have private insurance. They provide emergency medical services apart from a regular hospital…
The timing of the waiver decision, right before Christmas, drew a quick, angry response from state Republican leaders. Gov. Brian Kemp’s spokeswoman noted that the federal health officials’ announced rejection of the state’s proposed work requirements for its Medicaid waiver came two days before Christmas. “They attempted to hide behind the holiday,’’ said Katie Byrd….
By Phil Galewitz and Andy Miller A record 13.6 million Americans have signed up for health coverage for 2022 on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, with nearly a month remaining to enroll in most states, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. President Joe Biden’s top health advisers credited the increased government subsidies, which lowered out-of-pocket costs,…
This is Part 3 of a Special Report Madelaine Austin is having her first baby, and had planned to give birth at Stephens County Hospital in northeast Georgia, just five minutes from her home. But in the middle of her pregnancy, she was forced to change OB/GYNs and the facility where she would deliver her…
State officials have dropped their plan for limiting the hours of support allowed for more than 180 Georgians with severe medical or behavioral health needs. The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) had proposed the limits under a “waiver” proposal submitted to the federal government. The goal was to use those remaining funds to serve…
This is Part 2 of a Special Report The medical predicament that many rural communities want to avoid lies 35 miles south of Columbus, Georgia. Eight years ago, Stewart Webster Hospital, in a financial tailspin, closed its doors for the last time. Now weeds and trash litter the grounds around the facility. In the years…
By Ariel Hart and Andy Miller A top federal official in charge of negotiating with Gov. Brian Kemp on Georgia’s high-stakes health care proposals visited Atlanta on Tuesday to talk about maternal health and other topics. But Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, had no answers for when any of the…
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a hospital chain with a facility in suburban Atlanta, has agreed to be acquired by the California-based nonprofit system City of Hope, the organizations announced Wednesday. This will be a hospital for those in need of cancer diagnosis, treatment and many more services. If you haven’t received treatment yet, look…