By Rahwa Yehdego, Policy Research Associate, Georgia Watch An All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) is a powerful tool for increasing transparency in healthcare costs that 19 other states have adopted. Georgia Watch, Georgians for a Healthy Future, lawmakers...
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By Rahwa Yehdego, Policy Research Associate, Georgia Watch Surprise billing, also called balance billing, can add hundreds or thousands of dollars to a person’s medical bill, often without their prior knowledge. With 70% of Georgians reporting struggles...
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By T.A. DeFeo, The Center Square — Roughly four in 10 Georgia hospitals earned a grade of C, according to a new analysis from an independent national watchdog. Of the 83 hospitals The Leapfrog Group graded, it gave 21 hospitals (25.3%) an A, 23...
More infoBy Crystal Bui, CBS46 — Health care isn’t cheap in the United States. And for many who couldn’t afford it, Atlanta Medical Center, which was part of the non-profit group Wellstar Health System, was able to help. But now with AMC shutting its doors, many...
More infoBy Crystal Bui and Jamarlo Phillips, CBS 46 — Throughout the pandemic, Americans have been able to get the covid-19 vaccines, treatments, and the tests without having to pay with their own money. But that’s about to change. The Biden administration is...
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By Sarah C. Phillips, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy, Georgia Watch – Since 2021, Georgia Watch, Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF), and SOWEGA Rising have worked to protect consumers in Southwest Georgia from unaffordable medical bills and debt...
More infoBy JoAnn Merrigan, WSAV — Up to 19% of people in Georgia have a medical bill that’s in collections. “And it’s even higher among people of color, up to 21%,” says Liz Coyle from Georgia Watch.“Sometimes those debts remain on consumers’ credit reports for...
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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 infoBy Sarah C. Phillips, Senior Manager of Policy & Advocacy, 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...
More infoBy: 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...
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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...
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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...
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