Although the number of people in Georgia without health insurance fell between 2014 and 2015, the Peach State still has the country’s third highest uninsured rate at 13.9 percent. This is somewhat higher than the 9.1 percent national rate. The 13.9 percent uninsured rate comes outs to nearly 1.4 million Georgians, which accounts for about
While long term structural fixes to Georgia’s healthcare financing system are debated in preparation for next year’s session of the Georgia General Assembly, state leaders are touting a new program designed to bring additional private sector dollars into the system for rural Georgia hospitals. Representative Geoff Duncan (from non-rural Cumming Georgia) was the chief sponsor
According to an opinion issued by the Georgia Law Department, the Georgia Board of Nursing has the final say over which qualified candidate can be hired as the Executive Director of the Board, and the Secretary of State’s office determines which candidate(s) are qualified for the job. The opinion from the Attorney General’s office is
Even though the saying goes that “without Atlanta, we’d be Alabama,” the Peach State still has some major differences with its western neighbor. We have more teeth, we smell better, we wear shoes, etc. Less obvious is that, like most other states, we have a lottery and, despite Gov. Robert Bentley’s best efforts last week,
Primary care doctors are always on the forefront of medical care for children, but when it comes to dental health, hundreds of thousands of Georgia children don’t have access. A researcher at Georgia Tech recently reported that Georgia is dropping the ball on dental health. More than 500,000 children in the state don’t have adequate
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia’s premiums on the state’s Obamacare health insurance exchange will increase by an average of 21.4% in 2017, according to a proposal accepted by the office of Insurance Commisioner Ralph Hudgens. The decision awaits final confirmation by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, which has the ultimate authority
The Federal Government has doubled down on its decision not to allow marijuana to be used for medical purposes. Despite twenty-five states and the District of Columbia passing laws that allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) denied requests to move marijuana from a “Schedule I” controlled substance to
A new study by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates that by expanding Medicaid as outlined under the Affordable Care Act, Georgia could gain additional federal funding of between $45.4 and $51.6 billion, while increasing its costs between $5.2 and %5.5 billion over the period between 2017 and 2026. According to
The debate over whether to expand Medicaid coverage in Georgia has been going on for as long as the option, available as part of the Affordable Care Act, has been available. For the most part, the reaction by GOP lawmakers at the Gold Dome has been negative, from Governor Deal, who said adding the option
Long live the days when Social Security was the third rail of American politics. It has been replaced by a program that is even more sacrosanct and impervious to reform: Medicare. On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PADME Act sponsored by Georgia Rep. Tom Price (R-6). PADME delays cuts to reimbursement rates for rural
