Once again, Forsyth County ranks as the healthiest county in Georgia. And the next four healthiest — Oconee, Cherokee, Fayette and Gwinnett — are the same as last year’s, in the newly released 2019 County Health Rankings. All five counties are suburban and in the northern half of the state. They are followed by Columbia,…
The proposed revamp of state health care regulations cleared a key hurdle Monday when a House committee approved House Bill 198. The vote followed contentious testimony last week about the potential impact of overhauling the state’s controversial certificate-of-need (CON) laws. CON governs the construction and expansion of health care facilities and services. Under the current laws,…
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed legislation Tuesday to allow Gov. Brian Kemp to pursue health care waivers from the federal government. The panel’s 9-4 vote came after Senate Minority Leader Steve Henson (D-Stone Mountain) sought to open up the bill’s Medicaid waiver request to cover more Georgians. Henson’s bid to amend Senate…
House Bill 198 will damage the state’s health care system. House Bill 198 will improve access to quality medical services. Those diametrically opposed views resounded during a passionate, occasionally testy three-hour legislative hearing Thursday on the high-profile bill, which would revamp the state’s health care regulatory system. The newly formed House committee on health care…
This could be the General Assembly session that rocks Georgia health care. Between the regulatory reform measures already introduced, and the coming bill on federal “waivers,’’ lawmakers have a chance to reconfigure the medical landscape in the state. The waiver proposal from Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to be twofold. One proposal, if approved by…
The map of the United States shows four blue dots clustered in northern Georgia. They represent the metro Atlanta counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Cobb. It’s not exactly surprising that the four — the most populous in our state — are among 48 counties in the nation that the Trump administration is targeting for…
A state analysis of a potential Medicaid expansion in Georgia finds that the move would cost up to $148 million in fiscal 2020 and would cover up to 526,000 people. The “fiscal note,’’ requested by Georgia House Democrats, comes in the wake of a governor’s race in which the two major candidates split on the…
It looks as though Gov. Brian Kemp will indeed pursue a Medicaid “waiver’’ proposal to expand health coverage in Georgia. Kemp, in his State of the State speech Thursday — three days after he was sworn in as Georgia’s new chief executive — said he will seek “to expand access [to care] without expanding a…
The target group are people who have visited the ER at least six times over a six-month period. Many are poor and without jobs, and some are homeless. A high percentage have no health insurance. Many of these people abuse drugs or have untreated mental illness. They also tend to have chronic diseases such as…
Federal health officials have extended the enrollment deadline for people in South Georgia affected by Hurricane Michael. They can enroll in the Affordable Care Act exchange till Feb. 20. Floridians affected by the storm also have an extended sign-up period. The national deadline was Dec. 15 to enroll in 2019 coverage. At least 20 counties…