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
By Angela Speir Phelps
Most Georgians realize the impact energy bills have on their family’s budget, especially at this time of year when our natural gas bills rise. But what many may not realize is that last year, the Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs completely defunded the Consumer’s Utility Counsel (CUC), a branch of the executive office that spoke up for average Georgians during the billion dollar utility cases being decided by the Public Service Commission (PSC). Read more
By Jeannine Malone
One in eight home loans is past due and on the verge of foreclosure in Georgia. Empty houses are falling into disrepair, homeowners are facing lower property values and families are turning up homeless, scrambling for shelter. Read more
By Matt Bouillon and Danny Orrock
Georgia Watch is keeping a keen eye on Atlanta Oculoplastic Surgery, P.C. v. Betty & Bruce Nestlehutt at the State Supreme Court that is challenging the cap on non-economic damages in the 2005 tort reform law. Non-economic damages are appropriate in cases where the jury wishes to compensate the injured party for harm that goes beyond lost wages or work opportunities. Pain and suffering, loss of normal marital relations (consortium), and physical injury or disfigurement are all non-monetary losses that fit in this category. Not surprisingly, amounts of non-economic damages can vary widely among cases and jurisdictions. Read more
By Beth Malone and Danny Orrock
The flooded streets and damaged homes resulting from the storms that pummeled the state in September should serve as a wake-up call to us all. Some of you may be asking: Why didn’t I know my property was vulnerable to flooding? Why had I never thought to purchase flood insurance? Many of us now know whether or not to purchase flood insurance, however countless more remain in the dark. more
Atlanta Business Chronicle, December 4, 2009
By Dave Williams
At first blush, it might seem that Angela Speir Phelps made a radical career change this year when she moved from utility regulator to consumer advocate. Full article.
Georgia currently ranks 7th in the nation for foreclosures. The following is a list of a few other startling facts that have resulted from the housing crisis. more
1. Number of loans already lost to foreclosure: 1.5 million
2. Projected foreclosures on all types of loans during the next 5 years: 13 million
more
General intent:
SB 57 addresses financial incentives that brokers and others use to guide borrowers into unsuitable loans. The bill helps prevent factors that contributed to meltdown in the subprime market. more
Heather Duncan
The Macon Telegraph
The Medical Center of Central Georgia is cutting hours, clinics and pharmacy offerings at its W.T. Anderson Health Center, which provides primary and specialty care to the poor…more.
PASOS PARA SALVAR SU HOGAR Y PREVENIR EL EMBARGO HIPOTECARIO more
Check out Georgia Watch board member and consumer advocate Clark Howard’s tips on tax credits for green living, growing your own produce and recipes for making your own cleaning supplies click here. Clark also says consumers should think about locking natural gas rates before the cold weather arrives in Georgia.
By Carrie Teegardin
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Evelyn Perry was worried about missing an upcoming mortgage payment when she saw a television commercial for a company called Peoples First Financial. The California-based business said it helped consumers avoid foreclosure by negotiating with mortgage lenders… more
Court Watch released its second annual report analyzing consumer-related decisions issued by the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Georgia Court of Appeals. Court Watch is a project of Georgia Watch, a nonprofit and nonpartisan group committed to strengthening the rights of consumers in Georgia… more
By ALYSE KNORR
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tuesday August 11, 2009
Thousands lined up outside the Georgia World Congress Center Tuesday hoping to get relief from unaffordable mortgages during the last day of the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America’s “Save the Dream” mortgage restructuring tour… more
Every year, the Supreme Court of Georgia and the Georgia Court of Appeals issue decisions that significantly impact the rights that consumers have under the law. Because many of these decisions are not covered by the news media, Court Watch is dedicated to informing the public about the court decisions that affect consumer rights the most. Each year Georgia Watch offers a fellowship to a single law student to research various cases that are tried in the Court of Appeals to determine which are most appropriate for the report.
Learn about Mike Rodgers, the 2008 Court Watch Fellow here.
A film placed —for the moment — out of harm’s way
5:01 pm July 12, 2009, by Jim Galloway
Georgia is on the verge of its very own Michael Moore moment. The question is whether that moment will be allowed to happen… more
ATLANTA – July 15th, Former Public Service Commissioner Angela Speir Phelps became executive director of Georgia Watch, the state’s leading consumer advocacy organization. Policy manager Danny Orrock moves into the organization’s deputy director position… more