There’s little oversight of tax prep businesses, so watch for red flags like fees tied to size of refund. By Brad Schrade Lack of professional standards and oversight of tax preparers has led to an industry rife with fraud or mistakes, and consumers must...
More infoEngaging with Local Hospitals on Community Health
Is your hospital on this List? If so, it is a non-profit hospital, and most Georgia hospitals fall into this category. Non-profit hospitals do not have to pay most federal, state and local taxes. In return for their tax-exempt status, the Internal Revenue...
More info“The hospital combination game: 2 examples in Georgia”
Published in Georgia Health News, April 3, 2016 Written by: Andy Miller The two deals are very different in size and other details, but the Georgia hospital combinations announced last week reflect the fast pace of such partnerships between sometimes...
More info‘Mystery Shopper’ Study Finds Numerous Errors, Lack of Transparency and Arbitrary Fees for Paid Tax Prep Services in Atlanta
For Immediate Release For more information: Elise Blasingame (404) 205-6680 or eblasingame@georgiawatch.org April 5, 2016 – ATLANTA, GA – Today, Georgia Watch released preliminary results from a mystery shopper study that examined the paid tax preparation...
More infoGeorgia Watch Now a Regional Roll-Out for The Leapfrog Group
Georgia Watch is proud to announce a new partnership with The Leapfrog Group to encourage transparency, promote patient safety, and educate healthcare consumers. As Leapfrog’s new dedicated “Roll-Out” in Metro Atlanta, we hope to motivate community-wide...
More infoGeorgia Watch Hosts Focus Groups for Military Across Georgia
In February, Georgia Watch worked with the Attorney General’s Office, the Consumer Protection Unit, and Army Community Service, Airman & Family Readiness Centers and installation legal teams to organize focus groups across Georgia. These sessions...
More info“You only think you’re covered”
Written by: Haley Sweetland Edwards Published online on March 3, 2016 at TIME.com an in the March 14th issue of TIME magazine This is a comprehensive piece on surprise medical bills that profiles several Georgia consumers and gives a good national...
More info“Lawmakers to weigh several consumer-related bills”
By WALTER C. JONES ATLANTA — A clue to how at least one consumer-protection bill may fair in this year’s session of the General Assembly came during a panel discussion when all four legislators and the moderator complained of being victimized. That issue...
More info“WellStar OKs $575 million deal for Tenet hospitals”
By: Andy Miller, Georgia Health News Published: December 1, 2015 WellStar Health System announced Tuesday that it had agreed to buy Tenet Healthcare’s five metro Atlanta hospitals for $575 million. The deal, if approved by regulators, would make...
More infoFTC Debt Collection Dialogue Raises Important Questions for Georgia
Last week, on November 18th, the Federal Trade Commission held its last ‘Debt Collection Dialogue’ in a three-part series to bring government, debt collection industry and civil society together to discuss current consumer issues around...
More infoGeorgia Court of Appeals rules in favor of protecting caregivers when it comes to emergency hospital bills
Published by Georgia Watch’s Court Watch on November 23, 2015 In a ruling on October 6, 2015, the Court of Appeals of Georgia held that signing patient registration and consent forms on behalf of an incapacitated adult does not necessarily mean...
More info“Statewide effort started to curb scams against service members”
Watch the story online by clicking here. A statewide initiative to help active military members and families to avoid becoming victims of unscrupulous lenders or scam artists is now in its early stages. The Georgia Military Consumer Protection Initiative...
More info