Problems with retaining good employees. Difficulty in making new hires. Putting expansion plans on hold. Those issues would spell trouble for any organization. For the state’s community health centers, that predicament stems from what’s happening – or rather, what’s not happening – in the U.S. Congress. Funding for the federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) remains…
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…
The tractor trailer-sized structure sits outside Grady Memorial Hospital’s ER, looking like some huge tent assembled outside a major entertainment or sports event. But the unit will open Tuesday morning as a mobile emergency department, with 14 beds, leased by Grady to handle its soaring ER numbers. The fully equipped structure is wired and ready…
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…
Gov. Nathan Deal, in his final State of the State address, announced Thursday that he is recommending $22.9 million in additional funding for children’s mental health services. He based the funding on the work of a state commission on children’s mental health, which recently issued recommendation for improving kids’ services.ie Deal, a Republican former congressman, has been elected…
An analysis of federal inspection records has found that 43 percent of Georgia nursing homes have been cited for infection-related problems in recent years. That percentage, though, is one of the lowest among the states, the Kaiser Health News study found. The KHN analysis of four years of federal inspection records shows 74 percent of…
Acting on the first day of the 2018 Georgia General Assembly session, a task force of state lawmakers approved recommendations Monday to create two centers that its leaders say will develop data and solutions to improve health care in Georgia. Led by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the Georgia Health Care Reform Task Force proposed a Health Coordination…
The federal decision to end “net neutrality’’ rules has sparked concerns about potential damage to rural health care. The central question: Will repeal of the rules harm the burgeoning telemedicine movement in Georgia and other states? The Federal Communications Commission voted in December to scrap the net neutrality regulations it created a few years ago that…
Georgia legislative sessions during election years tend to be quick and fairly quiet, without a lot of “heavy-lift” proposals being passed. The 2018 General Assembly session may follow that trend. Still, House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) addressed several health care issues Thursday that may at least draw interest during the 2018 General Assembly session: Certificate of…