On March 8, Georgia Watch, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Prosperity Now, and Center for Responsible Lending hosted the first-ever Georgia Financial Protection and Economic Opportunity Summit. Nearly 50 partners from across the state and nation met...
More infoNew Legislation Would Undermine the CFPB’s Effectiveness
A bill introduced on Tuesday, HR 5266, co-sponsored by Georgia Representative David Scott (D – GA 13th District), would restructure the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from an agency led by a single director to one headed by a five-member...
More infoBlue Cross Blue Shield will stop reimbursing some ER visits on July 1st
Starting July 1, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia is implementing a new policy that may result in unpaid bills for patients on the individual market who go to hospital emergency rooms for non-emergencies. Anthem, the parent company of Blue Cross in...
More infoGeorgia Watch Comments on New CMS Informed Consent Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed new regulations related to the informed consent documents patients receive prior to elective procedures in hospitals. These documents are critical to effectively engaging patients in...
More info“Hundreds of thousands could lose insurance in Georgia under GOP plan”
By Misty Williams – The Atlanta Journal-Consitution Published online: March 15, 2017, In print: March 16, 2017 An estimated 750,000 Georgians — many of them poor and older — could lose their health insurance under the GOP’s Obamacare replacement...
More info“Georgia lawmakers to tackle ‘surprise’ medical billing to patients”
Written by: Andy Miller, Georgia Health News Published: January 26, 2017 When his 5-year-old son suffered a burn injury, Michael Caraway took him to a local hospital emergency room. The hospital was in Caraway’s insurance network. His son got successful...
More infoSUPREME COURT OF GEORGIA TO HEAR HOSPITAL OPEN RECORDS ACT CASE
ATLANTA, GA – December 14, 2016 – On Thursday of last week, the Supreme Court of Georgia decided to hear oral arguments in Smith v. Northside Hospital in April 2017. At issue in the case is whether certain documents related to Northside’s...
More info“Less than one-quarter of Georgia hospitals score “A” in safety ratings”
Georgia Health News, Andy Miller – November 1, 2016 Just 22 percent of Georgia hospitals received an “A” grade on patient safety in the latest ratings from the Leapfrog Group. That put Georgia in a tie for 36th place among states ranked on...
More infoGeorgia Watch Applauds CFPB Prepaid Card Rules
Last year, Georgia Watch kept you up-to-date on Senate Bill 88 which allowed employers the right to place employee earned wages or salary on a payroll card instead of the traditional payroll check. While Georgia Watch recommends that, if at all possible...
More infoGeorgia Watch files amicus brief in hospital Open Records Act case
ATLANTA, GA – September 20, 2016 – Georgia Watch filed an amicus brief today in support of the Petition for Writ of Certiorari in Smith v. Northside, a case pending before the Georgia Supreme Court. At issue is whether certain documents...
More info“Fines, firings in Wells Fargo turmoil”
By Ken Sweet, Associated Press NEW YORK – California and federal regulators fined Wells Fargo a combined $185 million on Thursday, alleging the bank’s employees illegally opened millions of unauthorized accounts for their customers in order to...
More info“Faculty and students assess community health needs, get hands-on experience”
By Christopher James Athens, Ga. – An assessment of community health needs, led by University of Georgia faculty and facilitated by the UGA Archway Partnership, has contributed to a new urgent care center for one middle Georgia county and resulted in...
More info