Betting on Reno Sara Schopper was doubled over with pain from gallstones when she arrived last May at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev. To make things even worse, she had no health insurance. Once doctors had removed her gallbladder, Schopper faced thousands of dollars in hospital bills as an uninsured worker. Before…
Too much expense. Too few doctors. Too little trust in the feds. State Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta), who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, laid out her party’s arguments Thursday against Georgia expanding its Medicaid program, as outlined by the health reform law. “Georgia is not going to expand Medicaid,’’ said Cooper at…
Buying a special license plate is making a difference in fighting breast cancer in Georgia. October is breast cancer awareness month, and a state health agency has awarded a total of $1.1 million to 16 community organizations in Georgia for breast cancer services to indigent women. The money comes from the sale and renewal of the Breast Cancer License Tag….
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday that the estimated number of Americans without health insurance in 2011 fell from almost 50 million, or 16.3 percent, to 48.6 million, or 15.7 percent. It’s the first drop in that uninsured number since 2007. Georgia’s three-year average of uninsured, meanwhile, has hit 19.7 percent, the fifth-highest rate in…
Tammie Cox of Calhoun needed a cervical polyp removed. She had to wait several weeks for surgery, while dealing with cramping and bleeding. S. Rita Wilson, a Rome woman, had a dangerous problem with a large uterine fibroid, which was finally removed after four months and three emergency room visits. Jayme Robinson of Lithia Springs…
An analysis comparing health statistics for Georgia counties shows a wide gap between rural and urban/suburban areas in the state. The top seven counties in the state in the new health rankings — Fayette, Forsyth, Oconee, Cherokee, Gwinnett, Cobb and Columbia –- are all in large metropolitan areas in the northern or north-central part of the state….
The clinic’s waiting room filled up quickly Wednesday morning, and there were still more patients waiting outside, sitting on the porch of the converted home. Good Shepherd Clinic, which provides free medical services to the uninsured of Clayton County, is a busy place every Monday and Wednesday, the only days when it’s open. Patients and…
The agreement providing dialysis for immigrants who were former Grady patients expires at the end of August, and it’s unclear what will happen next. A year ago, Massachusetts-based Fresenius Medical Care agreed to treat 25 of the 38 end-stage renal disease patients – most of whom are illegal immigrants – at Grady’s expense, and treat…
Lauren O’Brien’s career path changed when she fell off a horse. She suffered orthopedic injuries in a riding accident three years ago. O’Brien, who had plans of becoming a physician, wanted to donate her orthopedic equipment to someone else after her recovery. Yet when she tried to give away the braces and crutches, she found…
Gainesville — The recent battle over federal funding for Planned Parenthood is still echoing here. The attempt by congressional Republicans to stop all $327 million of federal Title X money — while targeting Planned Parenthood as an abortion provider — endangered funding for women’s health services at clinics in Hall County, public health workers say….