Previous Georgia Legislative Sessions
2011 Georgia Legislative Session
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Each year, Georgians for a Healthy Future develops policy priorities for which we advocate during the Legislative Session. Below is a listing of our 2011 policy priorities.
Support Consumer-Friendly Implementation of the Affordable Care Act:
Several elements of the nation’s new health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), will be implemented at the state level. Georgians for a Healthy Future will monitor legislation and agency-level activity to implement the new law and will support Georgia laws and regulations that establish systems and procedures to maximize benefits for Georgia’s health care consumers. In particular, the implementation process should take into account the needs of vulnerable populations who will become newly eligible for Medicaid or private, subsidized health insurance through the insurance exchange. Georgians for a Healthy Future will also support legislation to establish a commission or task force to oversee and coordinate implementation activity in a systematic and transparent fashion.
Protect and Strengthen Access to Quality Care for Medicaid and PeachCare Beneficiaries:
The Medicaid and PeachCare programs provide health insurance for our state’s most vulnerable citizens. Georgians for a Healthy Future will support policies to improve these programs in ways that facilitate continuous coverage and simplify enrollment procedures for families. Per federal law, current eligibility levels for these programs must be maintained; however, other efforts to reduce expenditures within these programs that could have a deleterious impact on access to care, such as provider rate cuts or the movement of the aged, blind, and disabled population into care management organizations, may be introduced. Georgians for a Healthy Future will oppose changes to these programs that could negatively impact access to vital health care services for Medicaid and PeachCare beneficiaries.
Preserve Consumer Protections for Georgians in Private Health Insurance Plans:
In recent years, legislation has been proposed to eliminate or circumvent consumer protections in private health insurance plans. For example, in 2010 there was a proposal to allow out-of-state insurers to sell health insurance to Georgia consumers without having to comply with the insurance benefits and consumer protections that Georgia plans must include, as delineated under Georgia law. These protections ensure that consumers purchasing private plans are buying meaningful health insurance that covers essential medical services in the event they get sick. Georgians for a Healthy Future will monitor and oppose legislation that would place consumer protections at risk.
Strengthen Georgia’s Public Health System:
Our public health system plays a critical role in Georgia by vaccinating children, monitoring and preventing epidemics, ensuring safe food and water, and providing basic preventive services. Despite a growing need for services, however, Georgia’s public health spending, on a per capita basis, is among the lowest in the nation. This has placed a significant strain on the existing system. Georgians for a Healthy Future opposes further reductions to public health programs and supports a stronger, adequately funded public health system. Georgians for a Healthy Future will also support a structure for the Division of Public Health that provides the Division with the autonomy, authority, and resources to revitalize Georgia’s public health system.
Support a More Sustainable Revenue Structure, Including an Increase in the Tobacco Tax:
Investment in a strong health system in Georgia will yield long-term benefits in the health and health outcomes of Georgia patients and consumers. However, in recent years, even the most basic, vital, and cost-effective programs have been subject to deep budget cuts. Georgians for a Healthy Future opposes further cuts to these vital programs and supports budget solutions such as a substantial increase in the state’s tobacco tax, which has the dual benefit of bringing in additional revenue to the state and increasing the health of Georgians by curbing youth smoking rates.
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During the Legislative Session, Georgians for a Healthy Future monitored several health care-related pieces of legislation. Below is a grid that was updated throughout the Legislative Session with information on these bills.
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2010 Georgia Legislative Session
The 2010 Legislative Session is officially over in Georgia. Below is a wrap-up of key pieces of health-related legislation and what they mean for Georgians across the state.
- HB 307 (which ultimately was attached to HB 1055) imposes a 1.45% bed tax on hospitals. It is estimated that HB 1055 will generate $300 million for the state.
- HB 317 (which was attached to HB 411) states that Georgians cannot be compelled to “participate in any health care system,” and that the purchase or sale of health insurance products and/or direct healthcare services could not be prohibited. This language is intended to exempt Georgians from the individual mandate to purchase health insurance that is included in the recently enacted national health reform law. Because federal law predominates, HB 317 is not expected to have much practical impact.
- HB 321 now brings Third Party Administrators under Georgia’s Prompt Pay statues, creating a more attractive practice environment for physicians within Georgia and creating more physician choice for Georgia’s consumers and effectively lowering costs through increased competition. The statute ensures that insurance providers pay medical claims within 15 to 18 working days.
- HB 866 permits state matching grants to organizations for doctors who move to rural areas. This legislation serves to enhance recruitment efforts in bringing physicians and specialists to underserved areas within the state thus allowing for greater health care options statewide.
- HB 1040 allows unlicensed caretakers to perform some home health care activities. This will enable trained, unlicensed care-partners or assistance personnel to provide some health maintenance activities under informed consent for people with disabilities and the written order of a physician, eliminating the ban on such services within the Nurse Practice Act and allowing or more affordable in-home health options.
- HB 1268 extends the 65% federal COBRA premium subsidy for people laid off by small firms.
- HB 1407 provides for a single administrator for dental services for Medicaid recipients and PeachCare for Kids participants thus effectively removing the administrative “middle man” in accessing dental care.
- SB 316 will make Medigap policies available to Georgians who are living with a disability and receiving Medicare benefits, allowing for fewer chronically ill Georgians to be stuck within the Medicare donut hole or avoid other underpayment issues.
- SB 360 and HB 23 deal with cellular phone use while driving. The Senate bill bans texting by all drivers and the House bill bans class D drivers, mostly teenagers, from talking on their cell phones while on the road.
- SB 367 expands the list of persons who may consent to treatment on behalf of another and provides for medical consent guardians.
- SB 458 will require pickup drivers to join the rest of the state’s motorists in wearing seat belts. Pickups used on farms and other agricultural jobs are exempt.
- SR 277 asks voters to approve a $10 fee for license plates to fund trauma services.
Two bills that we closely monitored throughout the Legislative Session, SB 407 and HB 1184, ultimately did not pass. We had major concerns about the impact of these bills on Georgia’s consumers, as they would have circumvented essential health insurance benefit mandates and eroded consumer protections for health care consumers by authorizing out-of-state insurers to sell health insurance plans to Georgians.
One issue that we were following throughout the session, the tobacco tax increase, failed to make it through in the final hours of session. Despite being a win for public health, a win for tobacco prevention and a win for the state coffers, the tobacco tax was left behind for the year. Hopefully next year it will be back on the table for negotiation.
As for the budget:
On the 40th day of the session, the FY 2011 budget was adopted. The Medicaid and PeachCare programs were largely protected from cuts because the state is operating under maintenance of eligibility requirements tied to the enhanced rate of federal matching funds (FMAP) Georgia is receiving from the federal government as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. However, the state budget does include increases to PeachCare premiums. Outside the Medicaid and PeachCare programs, there were other health care budget cuts, including cuts to health department grant-in-aid, Babies Born Healthy prenatal care, and Area Health Education Centers. For a more detailed breakdown of the budget and its implications on health care, please see the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute’s reports.
Looking Ahead:
Though the session is over, the hard work is far from over. Over the next couple of months Georgians for a Healthy Future will be monitoring the implementation of the new national health reform law to ensure that Georgia is prepared to meet the needs of its citizens. We will continue to keep you updated on issues that affect the health and welfare of all Georgians and we will look to you for support as we forge ahead.
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