Atlanta, GA (March 10, 2021) – Georgia Watch announced today that it has been awarded a $190,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work with community groups and local healthcare providers to address local needs around medical billing and...
More infoCovid-19 Resilience – Community Voices: Adrianne Proeller, CHW
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 infoGeorgia Watch’s Berneta Haynes Honored as Families USA’s Health Care Value Advocate of the Year
Atlanta, 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...
More infoWoman’s routine procedure lands her with massive unexpected bill — why a new law may not help her
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 infoFive Years in the Making: Consumer Advocates’ Role in Passing Comprehensive Surprise Billing Legislation
Today, 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...
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 infoAt last, legislation to curb surprise billing headed to governor’s desk
By Stanley Dunlap – Georgia Recorder After several years of false starts, state lawmakers Wednesday sent legislation to the governor designed to rein in the unexpected medical bills that Georgians sometimes get after a hospital visit. Gov. Brian Kemp...
More infoGeorgia Legislature Passes Legislation to End Surprise Medical Bills
ATLANTA (June 17, 2020) | Today, the Georgia Senate unanimously approved House Bill 888, bringing Georgia one step away from ending burdensome surprise medical bills. In February, Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R – Rome) and Representative Lee Hawkins (R –...
More infoCash-strapped businesses hit with new infection-control costs
By Yamil Berard – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Some pass along costs to consumers while others turn to insurers, government for help Having a family history of glaucoma, Liz Coyle was quick to schedule a visit to her eye doctor once coronavirus...
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 infoGov. Kemp limits legal liability of hospitals, staff during pandemic
By Chris Joyner and Sarah Kallis – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hospitals, nursing homes welcome the protection. Order is a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card,’ says one critic. Gov. Brian Kemp has used his emergency powers to protect Georgia’s strained...
More infoGeorgia Watch Receives Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with Public Agenda and Altarum for Innovative Health Initiative
Atlanta, GA (April 15, 2020) – Georgia Watch announces it has received a grant through Community Voices for Health (CVH), an initiative led by Public Agenda and Altarum, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Statewide partners for the...
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