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, 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 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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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...
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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 infoAtlanta, 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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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 infoToday, 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...
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