In a non-emergency such as a discharge to post-acute care, it hasn’t been established how hospitals must disclose any out-of-network costs to patients ahead of time, said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future.

She fears some patients won’t be fully protected with the insurance commissioner’s directive if they’re moved out of network.

“Is it just a piece of paper in a full stack of papers that you sign when you’re filling out all the intake forms?” she said. “Or is it what we would like to see, you only see this paper as a standalone piece if you are being referred out of network at that time, and with a very clear cost estimate that is line by line?”

“If there are quality metrics that aren’t being met and we as the public can look and see where Georgia is falling short, we can hold our state decision-makers accountable,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future.

“The greater the state reports, the better,” she said.

“If there are quality metrics that aren’t being met and we as the public can look and see where Georgia is falling short, we can hold our state decision-makers accountable,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future.

“The greater the state reports, the better,” she said.

“In a state like Georgia, where our health care system is really insufficient and not meeting the needs of the population already, this just further breaks down what should be a very close relationship between individuals and communities and their health care system,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future.

“Every Georgian, whether they know it or not, benefits from the standards and protections that have been put in place by the Affordable Care Act,” Laura Colbert, executive director of the nonpartisan Georgians for a Healthy Future, said at Tuesday’s press conference. “If the Supreme Court were to strike down the ACA, the consequences would be felt personally and deeply by Georgia households across the state.

“The collapse of the Affordable Care Act, if the lawsuit leads to that, would be disproportionately felt by Georgians of color and rural Georgians,” she added. “These Georgians are already shouldering the heaviest burdens of the pandemic and faced unfair barriers to care even before the pandemic began.”

Laura Colbert, president of Georgians for a Healthy Future, which supports the ACA, said the changes will move resources to help those who make more money.

“The governor’s plan pits affordability for middle- and high-income consumers against access and comprehensive coverage for lower and moderate-income Georgians,” Colbert said in a statement.

’This is a huge missed opportunity,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. “We’re missing the most cost-effective way to solve this problem.”