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LEGISLATIVE SESSION COMING TO AN END
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| Georgia’s 2021 legislative session ends tonight!
Georgia’s 2021 legislative session is set to wrap up tonight! Today is the final day of session, also called “Sine Die”. You can find a full list of health related legislation, including whether or not a bill is still awaiting a final vote, at GHF’s legislative tracker here. You can also follow the live House & Senate debates and votes here at legis.ga.gov.
GHF will send our next legislative update this Friday with a run-down of which health bills made it over the finish line before the General Assembly gaveled out. You can find a full list of health related legislation at GHF’s legislative tracker. |
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A DEAL TOO GOOD TO PASS UP
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| Tell state leaders to take the best deal for all Georgians
Our state leaders have a new opportunity to promote the health of Georgians across the state! Under the recently passed American Rescue Plan, Georgia is eligible to receive a $1.3 Billion incentive for expanding Medicaid coverage to low-income adults. The new funding covers the costs of Medicaid expansion and leaves $710 million available to spend on other state priorities.
Your friends and family, and our state leaders need to know about this exciting deal so our state can take advantage of it! Last week Cover Georgia placed these full-page ads in newspapers across the state to let our elected leaders know that Medicaid expansion is a deal too good to pass up.
Over 500,000 Georgians remain uninsured, rural hospitals continue to close, and our health care system struggles to keep up because Georgia leaders have refused to expand Medicaid. It’s time to close Georgia’s coverage gap, extend health coverage to half a million Georgians, and accelerate Georgia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Share the Cover Georgia ad and the new CoverGA.org/GoodDeal page with your elected officials. Let them know that Medicaid expansion is the best deal for Georgia! |
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HAPPENING NOW! COVID-19 VACCINES & HEALTH INSURANCE
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| All Georgians 16+ now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine!
Last week all Georgia residents 16 years and older became eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. COVID-19 vaccines protect you from getting seriously ill and keep your loved ones safe from catching the virus. Here are a few resources to help you schedule your vaccine appointment:
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| Starting tomorrow: Thousands of Georgians newly eligible for discounted health insurance at healthcare.gov
Most Georgians who qualify for health insurance and financial help through the Affordable Care Act (or “Obamacare”) are still uninsured. Help us spread the word!
Healthcare.gov is open now and starting tomorrow, April 1st, Georgians qualify for new discounts on their coverage thanks to the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Georgians can shop for and enroll in affordable, quality health plans now through August 15, 2021.
With the ARP’s added financial help, 127,000 uninsured, middle-income Georgians are eligible for discounts that lower their health insurance costs. Another 134,900 uninsured Georgians with low or modest incomes qualify for lower or zero-dollar ($0) premiums who enroll in plans through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace.
Find out what discounts you or your loved ones may be eligible for with this easy calculator from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Then shop and enroll at healthcare.gov or 1-800-318-2596! |
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| GHF welcomes new Health Policy Analyst and Organizing Manager
This month, GHF welcomed Whitney Griggs as our new Health Policy Analyst and Knetta Adkins as our new Organizing Manager.
Whitney will lead GHF’s research, data, and policy analysis work so that GHF remains evidence-based and data-driven. Knetta will build and grow GHF’s outreach and organizing efforts, keeping GHF in touch with the most important health care stakeholders—Georgia’s health care consumers.
We are so pleased to have Whitney and Knetta join the GHF staff! Visit our website to learn more about Whitney, Knetta, and the rest of GHF’s team! |
| GHF joins partners to address medical billing & collections practices at Southwest Georgia hospitals
In partnership with Georgia Watch and SOWEGA Rising, GHF is pleased to announce our participation in the Community Benefit and Economic Stability Project (new link). The focus of this initiative is to work with community groups and local health care providers to address local needs around medical billing and debt in southwest Georgia. This project is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Georgia team will receive technical assistance from Community Catalyst.
Check out the new initiative page from Community Catalyst to learn more about this project and look for updates from GHF and our partners as we begin this exciting work. |
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