Feb 20, 2019 Under the federal health law, every dollar Georgia spent on Medicaid coverage expansion would be matched by $9. But that’s only if the expansion includes individuals who fall under 138 percent of the poverty line, said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, a nonprofit consumer health advocacy group. Colbert also said the measure grants broad authority to the governor and department of insurance. “This lack of boundaries included in the bill allows for waiver proposals that could create seismic and detrimental change that harm consumers and destabilize the market,” Colbert said.

Feb 20, 2019

Reinsurance, as some states have sought, would provide stability for the exchange premiums, said Laura Colbert of the consumer group Georgians for a Healthy Future. But other 1332 waiver ideas, such as to promote ‘‘junk insurance’’ plans [those with very limited benefits], could create “seismic and detrimental changes,’’ Colbert said.

Feb 15, 2019

Laura Colbert, with patient advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future, also worries that the Kemp administration’s waiver plan likely won’t go far enough.

“Many of the Georgians who are excluded in this proposal will likely remain uninsured and continue to struggle to get the health coverage and care they need,” she said in a statement.

Feb 14, 2019

GEORGIA GOVERNOR BACKS PARTIAL MEDICAID EXPANSION

“Many of the Georgians who are excluded in this proposal will likely remain uninsured and continue to struggle to get the health coverage and care they need,” Georgians for a Healthy Future said in a statement.

Feb 8, 2019

Health care advocates expressed cautious optimism. Laura Colbert, the executive director of the patient advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future, said she worries that a waiver could include work requirements, but that it was “exciting” to see movement.

“Georgia consumers have been waiting for the last seven years for our leaders to make the decision about whether or not they have a pathway to coverage,” she said.

Feb 5, 2019

It’s a fight Laura Colbert will be watching closely. She heads patient-advocacy group Georgians For A Healthy Future and hopes what’s best for health care consumers doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

“I don’t know that patients are a central part of the decision making right now, and frankly, haven’t been a central part of the debate so far,” Colbert said.

“CON is interconnected with other debates around health care at the Capitol and that the success of one may improve or tank the chances for another,” she said.

Feb 5, 2019

Laura Colbert, who leads Georgians for a Healthy Future, has long advocated for full-on Medicaid expansion. She said she was cautiously optimistic. However, she said, “I am pleased that Georgia’s decision-makers are taking steps forward to ensure low-income Georgians have health insurance coverage.”

Jan 24, 2019

The new state estimate “is lower than the previous estimate and underlines the affordability of expansion for the state,’’ Laura Colbert of the advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future told GHN.

Jan 18, 2019

Laura Colbert of the consumer group Georgians for a Healthy Future “We are encouraged that Governor Kemp is utilizing the tools available to him to address the state’s health needs and hope that the effort results in accessible, affordable, high quality health care for all Georgians regardless of income.”

Jan 17, 2019

Laura Colbert: Executive Director, Georgians for a Healthy Future named a 2019 Funded Consumer Liaison Representative

Established in 1992, the Consumer Liaison Program promotes consumer interaction with the NAIC’s members, the insurance industry and interested parties through the individuals’ dedication and commitment to serving the public interest.

“Our consumer liaison representatives are experts in their fields and provide regulators with important insights,” said Eric Cioppa, NAIC President and Maine Superintendent of Insurance. “Their contributions help protect consumers, which is always one of our top priorities.”