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 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 infoThe financial toll of Covid-19: Beating the virus comes at a cost
By Rebecca Lindstrom – 11Alive News (Watch Now) COVID-19 has lingered long enough, we now have survivors to celebrate. But it will take months, even years, for some to heal from the financial toll of battling this virus. “Those doctors and nurses...
More infoOptions for uninsured Georgians with COVID-19 to get treatment at reduced or potentially no cost
By Joe Henke – 11Alive State officials have repeatedly said anyone, including uninsured, needing to be tested for COVID-19 will be tested for free. But will their treatment be covered? ATLANTA — During his town hall address broadcast across Georgia...
More infoDebt traps, easy filing rules fuel Georgia’s high bankruptcy rate
By Willoughby Mariano – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Georgia’s remains among the top three states in the nation for personal bankruptcy filings, even as the state unemployment rate drops to all-time lows. The state’s overall number of...
More infoMore Georgians have no health insurance
By JoAnn Merrigan – WSAV (Watch Now) SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – A recent report ranks Georgia as Number 3 on a new list, but healthcare advocates say this is one ranking the Peace State should not be excited about. The report from the U.S Census Bureau...
More infoProviders flexing their debt collection muscles
By Tara Bannow – Modern Healthcare With uncompensated care growing alongside the prevalence of high-deductible plans, providers are looking for ways to collect on unpaid bills. Piedmont Health is requiring patients who will responsible for their...
More infoGeorgia health care legislation left some gaps in 2019
By Ariel Hart – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Legislature did a lot on health care this session. But it left some things undone. Maybe they were overshadowed, legislators said, or maybe they’re just tough issues. Powerful interest groups are...
More infoAmericans Are Going Bankrupt From Getting Sick
In April 2016, Venus Lockett was about to give a speech at an event she volunteered for near her home in Atlanta. She was already stressed. The previous night, she had stayed up late making her presentation, and then deleted it by mistake. As she stepped...
More infoMedicaid expansion and the fate of Obamacare are at the heart of the heated Georgia gubernatorial race
By Emma Newburger – CNBC A national battle over whether to extend public health insurance to low-income adults is at the center of a tightly contested gubernatorial race in Georgia, where hospitals and drug stores are closing across the...
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