Just when the insurance market was looking calmer for the exchange in Georgia and other states, another event has shaken things up. In a weekend announcement, the Trump administration said it’s freezing payments under an Affordable Care Act program aimed at protecting insurers who have sicker patients from financial losses. The Centers for Medicare &…
Premium increases of 2 percent to almost 15 percent would seem like bad news for Georgians needing health care coverage. But the rate hikes proposed by insurers for Georgia’s 2019 insurance exchange appear almost as a relief, compared with huge rate hikes a year ago — more than 50 percent. The proposed premiums for next…
Stacey Abrams is making health care a central issue of her campaign for Georgia governor. The Democratic nominee this week issued a statement reiterating her call for the state to expand its Medicaid program. Abrams also pointed to gains from the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, especially its protection for people with pre-existing…
Joy Kramer was diagnosed with lymphoma 13 years ago. She recovered a year later, and remains cancer-free today at 59. But for years after her treatment, Kramer fought to get affordable insurance. Her premiums and deductibles soared because of her pre-existing medical condition. For a while she gave up, going uninsured for several months. The…
Two recent surveys point to an expected but troubling trend: The U.S. rate of uninsured people is rising. And the increase may continue into next year. The Commonwealth Fund on Tuesday released a survey of working-age Americans that found that 15.5 percent were estimated to lack health insurance coverage as of February and March 2018. That’s up from…
A wild day in health care at the state Capitol on Tuesday began with a morning legislative hearing on something Democrats have sought for years: Medicaid expansion. No vote was taken on the expansion legislation, which was presented to the House Appropriations subcommittee on health. The day also included a health panel passing two bills to protect…
A key state senator said Wednesday that she expects Georgia’s fight against the opioid epidemic to draw funding from the Legislature through the budget process. Sen. Renee Unterman, a Buford Republican, made the remarks after the Senate unanimously approved a bill that would establish a Georgia director of substance abuse, addiction and related disorders and create a…
From a legislative standpoint, the chances of a broad increase of health insurance coverage look pretty dim this year in Georgia. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle on Monday told reporters that he is opposed to expanding Medicaid in Georgia. “Big government won’t improve our health care system,’’ Cagle said at a press conference Monday at the…
After years of Georgia rejecting expansion of Medicaid, there has been increasing political talk about the state pursuing a federal waiver to give health insurance to more people. At the same time, though, requiring that Medicaid beneficiaries work to retain their coverage has picked up momentum nationally, with the Trump administration allowing Kentucky to pursue…
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle drew attention to the growing chorus of state leaders calling for expanded access to health care in Georgia when he released a statement last week outlining his perspective on a possible state Medicaid waiver. By refusing to expand Medicaid, Georgia’s leaders have for years let the federal government keep funds — $12 billion…