Commentary: Many Georgia hospitals’ lifeline in danger

The Disproportionate Share Hospital program isn’t widely known among the public. But among hospital leaders, it’s a crucial factor in the financial health of their facilities. The DSH program helps hospitals cover the costs of care not paid for by insurance. Efforts to maintain funding are stalled in Congress, and if the issue is not taken…

Congressional inaction on DSH program will hurt Georgia hospitals

By Bernie Tokarz While lawmakers in Washington debate the nuances of broader health care policy, uninsured Americans are still turning to local hospitals to access basic care, and those hospitals are still on the hook for the costs of that care. And if Congress doesn’t act by the end of September, funding for the program…

Georgia now has third-highest percentage of uninsured, report shows

Georgia’s uninsured rate rose slightly in 2018, to 13.7 percent, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday. That gives Georgia the nation’s third-highest rate of people without health insurance. The state trails only Texas and Oklahoma. Georgia had the fourth-highest percentage in 2017. The national uninsured rate also rose in 2018, from 7.9 percent of Americans,…

Anthem faces contract standoff, launches new health plan in Georgia

September is shaping up as a worrisome time for thousands of Georgia patients. Consumers are being notified that on Sept. 30, the contract between the state’s largest health insurer, Anthem, and Northeast Georgia Health System is due to expire. That would make Northeast Georgia’s Gainesville hospital and other facilities out of network for Anthem members, who…

Duncan task force to focus on costs and availability of health care

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan announced Wednesday that he has formed a task force to tackle health care access and costs in Georgia. Duncan said the group will study medical price transparency and other “free-market’’ solutions, the use of data and technology, and employer innovations in health care. The task force will consist of state lawmakers…

Deloitte briefs state advisory group on health care waiver effort

Georgia has a high rate of people without health insurance, and it’s statistically below average in quality of health care. Those shortcomings, state officials say, underscore a clear need to make changes to Georgia’s health insurance systems. That message was part of a presentation Thursday to a large advisory council formed to offer input on…

Enrollment drops, eligibility snags and cyber-errors in benefit programs spark concern

Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare saw a drop of 20,000 kids last year, a recent report found. Food stamp use has fallen in the state as well, continuing a steady drop since 2013. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which aids pregnant women and families with dependent children, hit a six-year low in Georgia recipients in…

Where does Georgia rank on some key health measures?

Georgia’s child well-being ranking has climbed one spot, to 38th among the states, in an annual national report on kids. The KIDS COUNT Data Book for 2019, released Monday, measures children on education, economic well-being, health, and family and community. Georgia has come a long way from a ranking of 48th in 1990, the report said….

State picks Deloitte to craft waiver plan on health coverage

The state said Monday that it has picked Deloitte Consulting as the winner of an almost $2 million consulting contract to develop health care ‘’waivers’’ for Georgia’s Medicaid program and the private insurance market. Deloitte won over five other firms contacted by state officials to solicit proposals. Its bid of $1.92 million was less than…

Children’s enrollment in Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare shows drop

Georgia’s Medicaid and PeachCare programs covered 20,000 fewer children at the end of 2018 than the year before, a new report says. That 1.6 percent drop is less than an overall 2.2 percent decline in enrollment nationally, according to the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. The report, released Thursday, said that nationally, about…