Atlanta, Ga. – Many metro Atlanta hospitals aren’t doing enough to improve health care accessibility for the low-income and uninsured, according to a report released this week by Georgia Watch. In addition, only half of the 34 hospitals in the 21-county Atlanta area fail to post legally-required signage about available financial aid programs. Read More
By Angela Speir Phelps
We hear a lot of talk about ethics in government – particularly the need for more. Candidates for public office often talk about the need for ethics reform and those elected talk about their staunch support for strengthening ethics in government. But talk is cheap. Where the rubber meets the road is how one acts, how they conduct the people’s business, and how they vote when presented with the opportunity to stand up for what’s right. A message from a podium is nothing more than an empty promise if forgotten once elected. Read more
By Angela Speir Phelps and Danny Orrock
There’s been a lot of chatter about the Supreme Court of Georgia’s decision to overturn caps on damages for victims of medical malpractice. It’s understandable this would generate interest, since it affects our most basic rights as citizens.
In 2005, Senate Bill 3 was heralded as a fix for many of the ills facing the health care industry. Read more
On March 22 the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that a controversial law capping the amount of money an injured patient could recover from a negligent medical provider is unconstitutional. The 7-0 decision was written by Justice Hunstein. Senate Bill 3, enacted in 2005, stated that a victim of medical malpractice could be limited in the amount of damages they can receive from a jury verdict, even if the harm caused was catastrophic in nature. Read more
By Jonathan Shapiro
This past March, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled unanimously that limits on jury awards in medical malpractice cases are unconstitutional.
“The very existence of the caps, in any amount, is violative of the right to trial by jury,” wrote Chief Justice Carol Hunstein. “[The cap] clearly nullifies the jury’s findings of fact regarding damages and thereby undermines the jury’s basic function.”
The ruling effectively strikes down the centerpiece of Georgia’s sweeping 2005 tort reform law, Senate Bill 3, which capped noneconomic awards – including those for pain and suffering – at $350,000. Read more
July 8, 2010
Extreme heat is blanketing Georgia and the sweltering temperatures are putting many in danger, especially the elderly, sick and the very young.
Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Environmental Protection Agencies show that a heat index of 105 degrees can be life threatening. Indeed, more people across the country die each year from extreme heat than from tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and lightening combined. Read More
By Danny Orrock
June 28, 2010
Have you ever used your debit card to make a purchase or withdrawal that is greater than your checking account balance? Perhaps you have a friend or family member that complained about the bank allowing them to overdraw their account and then charging a hefty fee. Banks earn tens of billions of dollars in overdraft fees each year, but a new regulation will empower consumers to protect themselves from debit card overdrafts. Read More
By Jonathan Shapiro
June 17, 2010
The Public Service Commission today responded to scrutiny over Atlanta Gas Light’s proposed pipeline expansion to the Reynolds resort in Greene County, voting to delay the project until more financial data is provided by AGL.
The 40-mile pipeline would have to cross two counties in order to serve the Reynolds resort, which is home to a Ritz-Carlton hotel and several private golf courses.
Georgia Watch Deputy Director Danny Orrock spoke before the Public Service Commission at a committee meeting last week, arguing that the project – whose estimated cost is $25 million, but could balloon to as high as $75 million – is unnecessary and not in the public interest. Read more
By Clare McGuire
June 10, 2010
IRP update – On May 19th, Georgia Watch witness Jay Hakes testified before the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) regarding Georgia Power Company’s 2010 Integrated Resource Plan filing.
Hakes said that Georgia Power’s residential and commercial energy efficiency programs were inadaquate. He characterized the company’s new homes program as suffering from “piddling incentives.”
His testimony also included a recommendation that the Commission adopt a standard included in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which provides that, with respect to long-term planning, each electric utility must “adopt policies establishing cost-effective energy efficiency as a priority resource.” Read more
June 6, 2010
Georgia Watch Executive Director Angela Speir Phelps appeared today on PBA legal affairs program, Leyes Cotidianas, or “Everyday Law.” Click here for the video.
By Danny Orrock
The 2010 Georgia General Assembly, which wrapped up in late April, was the longest session that anyone can remember. During the session Georgia Watch monitored and spoke out on a number of different bills affecting consumers, including legislation on civil justice, ethics, flood plain notifications, lending, nonprofit hospitals, and utilities, to name a few.
Below we highlight several key bills that Georgia Watch worked on in 2010. Read more
Georgia Watch welcomes a new addition to its watchdog team. Jonathan Shapiro joins the organization as communications director, bringing with him valuable experience as a radio, web, and newspaper reporter.
Shapiro most recently worked as Morning Edition producer for WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station. He reported on a range of topics, including transportation, homelessness, immigration, and the state Supreme Court. He will be responsible for all media contact, as well as internal and external communications in print and on the web. Read more
(Atlanta, Ga. and Boston, Ma.) Many non-profit hospitals are not doing enough to let needy patients know about whether they qualify for hospital charity care programs and how to apply for assistance, according to a report released today by The Access Project and Community Catalyst in collaboration with Georgia Watch. Read more
The Consumer Energy Program, led by former Public Service Commissioner and Georgia Watch Executive Director Angela Speir, analyzes information and develops positions on legislative and regulatory proposals that affect utility pricing, energy efficiency and renewable energy. Information about the program, new policies and ways to save on monthly bills is spread across the state via staff editorials, interviews and in an intensive grassroots campaign.
By Jonathan Shapiro
May 21, 2010
A Fulton County judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Atlanta Gas Light alleging it increased customer rates by up to $400 million without facing the regulatory scrutiny required by law.
The seniors’ advocacy group AARP sued on grounds that it was denied discovery rights during AGL’s request proceeding before the Public Service Commission. AGL argued – and the PSC ultimately agreed – that it had no legal obligation to provide discovery, since AGL was seeking approval of a surcharge, rather than a formal rate increase.
Georgia Watch and Common Cause, in support of AARP’s appeal, jointly filed an amicus brief arguing the request for the new surcharge was tantamount to a rate increase. Read more
ATLANTA – Georgia Watch is urging the state legislature to pass meaningful ethics reform. The current bill does not restrict lobbyists from giving gifts to legislators. In fact, it specifically exempts lobbyists from having to disclose the “reimbursement or payment of actual and reasonable expenses for food, beverages, travel, transportation, lodging, registration and other related activities for a meeting which is provided to a public officer to permit such public officer’s participation in such meeting.” Read more