Georgia was graded “D’’ on ensuring access to mental health and addiction treatment equal to that for physical illnesses, according to a report released Wednesday. The announcement comes on the 10th anniversary of a federal law on benefits signed by President George W. Bush. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires insurers to cover…
Two of the four health insurers in the 2019 Georgia insurance exchange, in a surprising move, are set to make reductions in monthly premiums from the rates they offer this year. Such decreases in insurance rates rarely occur in health care. The overall premiums announced Thursday, as approved by the state insurance commissioner, show the relative…
“Big data’’ health care analytics are the focus of a new program at Georgia Tech. Last week, the American College of Radiology’s Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute announced a five-year, $3 million research partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology to establish the Health Economics and Analytics Lab (HEAL), with the Ivan Allen College…
After her daughter’s death last year, Helen Dennard says, “I went over the edge.’’ It followed other deaths in her family in recent years. Dennard, an Atlanta resident, found herself angry and depressed by the time she went to her regular Grady Health System physician for a checkup. “I had really given up on life….
Driven largely by rising medical costs, health insurance premiums are expected to rise next year for many U.S. workers. Not so for Georgia teachers and state employees. Their 2019 premiums, deductibles, copays and co-insurance will remain the same as this year in the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP), Geogia’s Department of Community Health said Thursday. The…
Fewer benefits. Riskier coverage. Buyer beware. The Trump administration issued a final rule Wednesday that promotes the sale of more “short-term’’ health plans, but the move immediately drew criticism from consumer advocates and health care industry organizations. The short-term plans don’t have to cover pre-existing conditions and can provide a limited range of benefits. Many such plans…
Four health insurers have submitted proposed rates to the state insurance department to offer coverage in next year’s exchange in Georgia. The state agency, which must approve or reject the proposals, said Friday that it had not yet had time to study them. The four companies – Kaiser, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Ambetter, and…
Georgia Tech’s startup incubator is targeting health technology entrepreneurs, thanks to a contribution from a Blue Cross-owned health IT company. Atlanta-based NASCO, which is owned by several Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, is donating funding for Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) for its HealthTech initiative. That program, which will formally launch next month, is helping…
Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have created a state health policy director and a council to develop a “strategic vision’’ for Georgia health care. In his veto message, Deal said Senate Bill 357, “while well-intentioned, creates several unnecessary additional levels of government.’’ The legislation was backed by key Republican senators on health care issues,…
Three years ago, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the cost of the lifesaving drug Daraprim by 5,000 percent. Overnight, its price tag skyrocketed from $13.50 a pill to $750. That CEO, Martin Shkreli, is serving a prison term for securities fraud unrelated to Daraprim. But that drug, which costs pennies to make and is…