By Sarah C. Phillips, Policy Research Associate, Georgia Watch – Medical Debt in Southwest Georgia Medical debt accounts for more than half of all personal debt, affecting the lives of insured and uninsured people alike. In Georgia, where our rate of...
More infoCollecting Community Stories of Medical Debt in Southwest Georgia
By: Whitney Griggs – Georgians for a Healthy Future – In the spring of this year, Georgians for a Healthy Future, Georgia Watch, and SOWEGA Rising launched a project in Southwest Georgia to address the burden of medical debt. Southwest Georgia...
More infoHere’s how to get your medical debt reduced or eliminated
November 23, 2021 By Savannah Levins, 11Alive (Watch Now)– Did you know that medical bills are negotiable? Or that you can get care in Georgia for free? Georgia Watch, a nonprofit consumer group, recently received a $190,000 grant to help Georgians...
More infoGeorgia Watch awarded grant to aid state’s medical debt
By Hannah Jones – Saporta Report Thanks to a $190,000 grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Georgia Watch will address issues surrounding medical billing and debt in Southwest Georgia by working with local healthcare providers and...
More infoFoundation grant aimed at medical billing, debt in southwest Georgia
By Dave Williams – Capitol Beat News Service Community groups and health care providers in southwest Georgia will get help addressing problems with medical billing and debt thanks to a $190,000 grant, Atlanta-based consumer advocacy group Georgia...
More infoCovid-19 Resilience – Community Voices: Adrianne Proeller, CHW
By Puru Gaur, Georgia Watch Intern, Emory MPH Candidate Highlighting the Unequal Impacts of an Unprecedented Pandemic We are mindful that a public health crisis like COVID-19 disproportionately impacts marginalized and under-resourced communities that have...
More infoGeorgia Watch’s Berneta Haynes Honored as Families USA’s Health Care Value Advocate of the Year
Atlanta, GA (January 25, 2021) | Berneta Haynes, Senior Director of Policy and Access at Georgia Watch, has been recognized as Families USA’s Health Care Value Advocate of the Year. Haynes earned the award because of her exemplary work championing...
More infoWoman’s routine procedure lands her with massive unexpected bill — why a new law may not help her
By Justin Gray – WSB-TV (Watch Now) An unexpected medical bill put an Atlanta woman’s credit score in jeopardy. Single mother Rachel Seltzer visited her doctor for a routine physical. Her doctor sent her to Georgia Cancer Specialists, which is an...
More infoFive Years in the Making: Consumer Advocates’ Role in Passing Comprehensive Surprise Billing Legislation
Today, Governor Kemp signed the Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act into law! Georgia Watch and our partners at Georgians for a Healthy Future strongly supported this bipartisan bill to protect consumers from surprise out-of-network medical bills...
More infoConsiderable action on health bills puts cap on interrupted session
By Andy Miller and Max Blau – Georgia Health News State Rep. David Knight had a triumphant look Friday when talking about his quest for more oversight and restrictions on the PBM industry. Pharmacy Benefit Managers are basically corporate middlemen...
More infoAt last, legislation to curb surprise billing headed to governor’s desk
By Stanley Dunlap – Georgia Recorder After several years of false starts, state lawmakers Wednesday sent legislation to the governor designed to rein in the unexpected medical bills that Georgians sometimes get after a hospital visit. Gov. Brian Kemp...
More infoGeorgia Legislature Passes Legislation to End Surprise Medical Bills
ATLANTA (June 17, 2020) | Today, the Georgia Senate unanimously approved House Bill 888, bringing Georgia one step away from ending burdensome surprise medical bills. In February, Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R – Rome) and Representative Lee Hawkins (R –...
More info