By Rebecca Lindstrom, 11Alive (WATCH NOW) – ATLANTA — Healthcare costs keep rising and sometimes it’s hard to understand what’s behind it. There’s been stories of patients being charged different prices for the same procedure based on their...
More infoEngaging the Community to Promote Medical Billing Transparency and Reduce Debt in Southwest Georgia
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 infoBorn with half a heart; Georgia child’s healthcare in limbo as hospital, insurer negotiate
By Rachel Polansky, CBS46 (WATCH NOW) – CUMMING, Ga. (CBS46) — The deadline for Northside Hospital System and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to come to an agreement on healthcare and insurance coverage is looming. If they don’t, hundreds of thousands...
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 infoWhat a Controversial List Says about Nonprofit Hospitals’ Charity Record
By Andy Miller, Georgia Health News – Grady Memorial Hospital ranks first, and Piedmont Hospital last, in a report rating the 10 largest nonprofit Atlanta/Athens area hospitals on their spending on charity care and other community health initiatives...
More infoFactsheet: What You Need to Know about Georgia’s Surprise Billing Law
The Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act went into effect in January, making Georgia the 16th state to have adopted comprehensive protections against surprise medical bills. Georgia Watch and Georgians for a Healthy Future advocated for...
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 infoGeorgia Watch Awarded Funding to Work with Southwest Georgia Hospitals on Better Billing and Collections Practices
Atlanta, GA (March 10, 2021) – Georgia Watch announced today that it has been awarded a $190,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work with community groups and local healthcare providers to address local needs around medical billing and...
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...
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