Legislative Update: Week 6

Patients First Act moves quickly through Senate committee

Last week, the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) committee met to discuss and hear testimony on SB 106. Titled the Patients First Act, the legislation permits Georgia’s Governor to pursue two health care waivers that could make significant changes to health coverage for Georgia consumers. The bill passed out of committee with no changes and now sits in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting a vote to move to the Senate floor.

The legislation, as written, would allow the Department of Community Health to request an 1115 waiver to extend Medicaid coverage up to 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL). This would leave out thousands who would be covered under a full Medicaid expansion and will likely cost the state more to cover fewer people. Additionally, the bill allows the Governor to make potentially tremendous changes to private health insurance in Georgia through 1332 waivers with little accountability. This proposed legislation falls short of the promise to put a health insurance card in the pockets of all Georgians.

There is still time to ensure that this bill covers all Georgians in need of an insurance card in a fiscally responsible way. Join us this Thursday, February 28th, for Cover Georgia Day at the Capitol to talk with your elected officials about this important piece of legislation. 

(Can’t make it? Call or send an email to your state legislators today!)

General Assembly moves forward on budget bills

Budget progresses through General Assembly

The House and Senate are inches away from completing work on HB 30, the FY2019 supplementary budget which only needs a House “agree” to move to the Governor’s desk. The supplemental budget (also called the “little budget”) makes necessary, mid-year adjustments to the current state budget. The Governor’s proposed amended FY2019 budget provides $1 million for the Department of Community Health to hire an external consultant to draft the waiver options authorized in SB 106, if passed. The House Appropriations Committee has begun working on the FY 2020 budget, (also called the “big budget”). The FY2020 budget contains significant additions for health, including $8.4 million to fund a school-based mental health initiative called Project Apex, which aims to increase access to mental health services for children and youth.

Legislature prioritizes HIV prevention & treatment

Bills to increase prevention & treatment of HIV move forward in the House

Georgia now leads the U.S. in the number of new HIV cases diagnosed each year. State legislators have turned their attention to this problem with the introduction and passage of several bills aimed at preventing the further spread of HIV/AIDS and increased access to treatment for those living with the disease:

• HB 158, sponsored by Rep. Deborah Silcox, requires that Medicaid recipients have the same access to antiretroviral regimens used to treat HIV and AIDS as to those included in the formulary established for the Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program. This change would allow for increased continuity of care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Georgia. The bill has passed the House and has been referred to the Senate HHS committee.
• HB 217, sponsored by Rep. Houston Gaines, decriminalizes the act of working or volunteering for a syringe services program, a step towards legalizing the programs. Distributing clean hypodermic syringes and needles to people who use injection drugs (e.g. heroin) helps to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C, and does not increase the likelihood that people will newly take up injections drug use. This bill was passed by the House yesterday and now moves to the Senate.
• HB 290, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Cooper, would establish a pilot program to provide preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug assistance or services to persons at risk of being infected with HIV. PrEP is a medication taken by people who are HIV-negative to reduce their risk for infection. The pilot program would provide PrEP to people in counties identified by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention as at risk of HIV outbreaks due to a high rate of opioid use and participants would receive regular HIV testing and related support services. The House HHS committee passed HB 290 last week and now awaits a full vote by the House.

Surprise billing legislation advances

Surprise billing legislation approved by Senate committee

SB 56, sponsored by Senator Chuck Hufstetler, was approved by the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee last week. The legislation addresses surprise out-of-network billing and aims to improve transparency. A surprise medical bill can occur when a consumer unknowingly encounters an out-of-network (OON) provider at an in-network facility and can have serious financial impacts on individuals and families. This bill would disallow surprise billing in emergency situations but does not prohibit surprise billing in non-emergency situations like when a physician uses an out-of-network laboratory for diagnostic tests. (For more details on the legislation, see our February 11th legislative update.) The bill was approved and now sits the Senate Rules Committee awaiting a vote.

GHF has you covered

Stay up-to-date with the legislative session

GHF will be monitoring legislative activity on a number of critical consumer health care topics. Along with our weekly legislative updates and timely analysis of bills, we have the tools you need to stay in touch with health policy under the Gold Dome.

• Sign up for the Georgia Health Action Network (GHAN) to receive action alerts that let you know when there are opportunities for advocacy and action
• Track health-related legislation
• Updated for 2019: GHF’s annual Consumer Health Advocate’s Guide. Contact Michelle Conde at mconde@healthyfuturega.org for a printed copy.

Action Alert: Patients First Act falls short

Last week, state leaders introduced SB 106. Titled the Patients First Act, the legislation permits Georgia’s Governor to pursue two health care waivers that could make significant changes to health coverage for Georgia consumers. The legislation allows for an 1115 waiver to extend Medicaid coverage to some poor adults in Georgia but leaves out thousands who would be covered under a full Medicaid expansion. Additionally, the bill allows the Governor to make potentially seismic changes to private health insurance in Georgia through 1332 waivers with little accountability. While it is heartening that Georgia’s leaders see the need to create a pathway to coverage for more Georgians, this proposed legislation falls short for two reasons, both of which we’re asking you to take action on:

1. The proposed 1115 Medicaid waiver would cover fewer people at a higher cost than Medicaid expansion. It would leave out thousands of Georgians in need of coverage and leave the state accountable for a larger share of the medical costs for those who would be newly covered. Ask Governor Kemp and your state legislators to get the best deal for Georgia by covering all eligible Georgians. (Then plan to join us for Cover Georgia Day at the Capitol on February 28th!)

2. More than 480,000 Georgians rely on Georgia’s health insurance marketplace for health coverage, and many more are eligible. Changes made to private coverage through a 1332 waiver could benefit or harm these consumers, but the legislation, as written is too broad to determine its impact. Ask Governor Kemp and your state leaders to specify in the bill that any waiver will preserve critical consumer protections (like those that protect consumers with pre-existing conditions), maintain comprehensive, quality health coverage, support a stable marketplace through increased enrollment, and will not leave consumers on the hook for higher costs.

House passes step therapy bill

Step therapy legislation moves quickly through House

HB 63, a bill sponsored by Chairman of the House HHS Committee Representative Sharon Cooper, was passed by the House this week. HB 63 addresses step therapy, which is a requirement by some insurers that patients try a series of lower-cost treatments before the insurer will cover the higher-cost treatment prescribed by a patient’s physician. This bill would require health insurance plans to establish step therapy protocols and outline a process for health care providers to request exceptions. HB 63 will now go to the Senate for consideration.

GHF releases annual consumer health advocate’s guide

A Consumer Health Advocate’s Guide to the 2019 Legislative Session

GHF’s annual Consumer Health Advocate’s Guide is your map for navigating the Georgia legislative session. This annual booklet provides information on the legislative process, legislators, and committees, key agency officials, advocate contacts, and more. Experienced advocates and new volunteers will find their way around Georgia’s Capitol more easily with the information provided in this year’s guide. Download or pick up your copy today.

(Interested in a hard copy? Contact Michelle Conde.)

RSVP for Cover Georgia Day

Join Cover Georgia at the state capitol on February 28th!

Join us on Thursday, February 28th for Cover Georgia Day at the Capitol when we will ask our state legislators to close Georgia’s coverage gap by putting insurance cards in the pockets of all Georgians. For the first time in Georgia, there is wide-spread agreement among Georgia’s legislators that something must be done to extend coverage to low-income Georgians across the state. Take advantage of this opportunity to ask your elected officials to close Georgia’s coverage gap now! RSVP today!

Can’t make it? Call or send an email to your state legislators asking them to put an insurance card in the pockets of all Georgians.

GHF has you covered

Stay up-to-date with the legislative session

GHF will be monitoring legislative activity on a number of critical consumer health care topics. Along with our weekly legislative updates and timely analysis of bills, we have the tools you need to stay in touch with health policy under the Gold Dome.

• Sign up for the Georgia Health Action Network (GHAN) to receive action alerts that let you know when there are opportunities for advocacy and action
• Track health-related legislation
• Updated for 2019: GHF’s annual Consumer Health Advocate’s Guide

Momentum builds to close Georgia’s coverage gap

The 2019 legislative session is now in full swing and the past few weeks have brought the introduction of two bills that would close Georgia’s coverage gap by expanding Medicaid.

HB 37: Expand Medicaid Now Act; enact and SB 36 are sponsored by Representative Bob Trammell and Senator Steve Henson respectively. Each bill expands Medicaid in Georgia as envisioned by the Affordable Care Act by increasing Medicaid eligibility for adults up to 138% of the federal poverty guidelines (FPL). This is equivalent to $17,236 annually for an individual and $29,435 for a family of three.

In addition, Governor Kemp has announced that his office will seek an 1115 Medicaid waiver. An 1115 waiver provides states with the ability to experiment with or tailor their Medicaid programs. Governor Kemp has not released details of the waiver, so its impact on consumers is uncertain. The waiver could close Georgia’s coverage gap, among other changes to Medicaid coverage. Legislation to allow Georgia’s Medicaid agency to seek an 1115 waiver is expected to be introduced soon by Senate Republicans.

Tell Governor Kemp and your legislators that you support putting a health insurance cards in the pockets of Georgians regardless of their income.

Consumer protection bills introduced

Surprise medical billing emerges as a prominent issue

Surprise out‑of‑network medical billing is once again emerging as a prominent issue within the Georgia General Assembly. A surprise medical bill can occur when a consumer encounters an out-of-network (OON) provider at an in-network facility or in other circumstances. Two pieces of legislation have been introduced to address surprise billing and each attempts to resolve the issue in its own way.

HB 84: Insurance; provide for consumer protections regarding health insurance
Rep. Richard Smith, Chair of the House Insurance Committee, introduced HB 84 to increase transparency related to possible surprise medical bills. This bill sets disclosure requirements for health care providers, insurers, and hospitals. The legislation requires that information on billing, reimbursement, and arbitration of services must be provided to the consumer at their request. The bill also allows for an arbitration process between the consumer and the health care provider, the specifics of which would be determined by Georgia’s Department of Insurance. This bill currently sits in the House Insurance Committee and is in House second readers.

SB 56: Consumer Coverage and Protection for Out-of-Network Medical Care Act
Senator Chuck Hufstetler, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, introduced SB 56 to address surprise out-of-network billing. This legislation disallows surprise billing in emergency situations under insurance plans issued after July 1, 2019. The bill contains similar transparency provisions to HB 84. For consumers who receive elective medical care after which they receive a surprise bill greater than $1000, the legislation makes available a mediation process through the Department of Insurance. This bill was referred to the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee.

Legislative calendar set

Legislature plans to finish work by April 2nd

The schedule for the remainder of the legislative session has been set in HR 152. Crossover Day, the day that legislation must move from one chamber to the other in order to be considered in 2019, will fall on March 7th. The remaining sixteen legislative days will be broken up throughout March, culminating on Sine Die, the last day of the session, on April 2nd. The full calendar can be viewed here.

RSVP for Cover Georgia Day

Join us at the state Capitol on February 28th!

Join us on Thursday, February 28th for Cover Georgia Day at the Capitol when we will ask our state legislators to close Georgia’s coverage gap by putting insurance cards in the pockets of low-income Georgians. This is the most important step that our elected officials can take to slow the growing opioid crisis, strengthen our state’s struggling rural health care system, and improve the health & finances of hardworking Georgia families. Take advantage of this opportunity to talk with your elected officials about closing Georgia’s coverage gap! RSVP today!

Can’t make it? Call or send an email to your state legislators asking them to put an insurance card in the pockets of all Georgians.

GHF has you covered

Stay up-to-date with the legislative session

GHF will be monitoring legislative activity on a number of critical consumer health care topics. Along with our weekly legislative updates and timely analysis of bills, we have the tools you need to stay in touch with health policy under the Gold Dome.

• Sign up for the Georgia Health Action Network (GHAN) to receive action alerts that let you know when there are opportunities for advocacy and action
• Track health-related legislation

Charlie Ellison is 87 years old and a long time resident of Dalton, Georgia. Charlie is one of over half a million seniors and people with disabilities in Georgia who depend on Medicaid and Medicare to live and function in their communities.

After suffering a fall while living alone in 2016, Charlie’s nervous system was damaged and he was no longer able to live independently. He attended physical therapy for ten months and lived at a nursing home in Dalton during this time which he paid for out of pocket.

Now that Charlie has Medicaid coverage, he is able to visit RossWoods Adult Day Services every day and enjoys engaging in activities with others his age. He is also able to live at home with his daughter and son-in-law who help take care of him, rather than in a nursing home where he had less independence and fewer activities to keep him healthy and active.

Before Charlie’s fall, he was already managing diabetes and high blood pressure, and had a pacemaker in his chest. Charlie’s Medicaid coverage picks up the costs of some of his medications that are not covered by Medicare, which ensures Charlie remains as healthy and independent as possible.

For 168,000 seniors like Charlie who typically rely on low, fixed incomes, Medicaid makes the difference and helps to pay the costs of their Medicare coverage, and for some, it provides additional health benefits not covered through Medicare. For others, Medicaid allows them to age with dignity in their communities by covering needed home and living adaptations like chair lifts, wheelchair ramps, or engaging day programs with trained staff.

Your story is powerful! Stories help to put a human face to health care issues in Georgia. When you share your story, you help others understand the issue, its impact on Georgia, and why it’s important.

Your health care story is valuable because the reader may be your neighbor, friend, someone in your congregation, or your legislator. It may inspire others to share their stories or to become advocates. It is an opportunity for individuals who receive Medicaid or fall into the coverage gap, their family members, their physicians and concerned Georgia citizens to show that there are real people with real needs who will be impacted by the health policy decisions made by Congress and Georgia’s state leaders.

Share your story here! Read and share our latest storybook here!