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In The News

Georgians for a Healthy Future is frequently cited in news articles about health care issues, ensuring the consumer perspective is heard. Read news stories featuring Georgians for a Healthy Future’s perspective below.

2023

Experts say Georgia’s certificate of need program could stifle businesses

  • The Black Chronicle
According to Georgians For a Healthy Future, nine rural Georgia hospitals have closed since 2010.
See the article for the full details

Georgians for a Healthy Future director believes in the power of a sabbatical

  • by Rebecca Grapevine
  • Atlanta Business Chroncile

Laura Colbert credits her two dogs, Mud and Ginger, with helping her maintain her own health and work-life balance in the face of numerous pressing priorities.

See the article for the full details

Capitol Recap: Kemp suspends motor fuel tax, giving Georgians break at the pump

  • by Jim Denery
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Until this report, we didn’t know what the insurers were doing. So now we have a baseline. And we’ve got a long way to go,” said Whitney Griggs, a senior policy manager at Georgians for a Healthy Future, a group that pushed for the changes.

See the article for the full details

Georgia insurers fail to prove compliance with mental health law

  • by Katherine Landergan and Maya T. Prabhu
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Until this report, we didn’t know what the insurers were doing. So now, we have a baseline. And we’ve got a long way to go,” said Whitney Griggs, a senior policy manager at Georgians for a Healthy Future, a group that pushed for the changes.

See the article for the full details

Children Stand to Lose During Medicaid Unwinding, But There’s More We Can Do to Keep Georgians Covered

  • by Leah Chan
  • GBPI

“Unfortunately, Georgia has chosen a much more complicated process to expand health coverage for the few folks who are able to get coverage. Even with Georgia Pathways to Coverage in place, Georgians are still losing their health coverage. Work requirements are insurmountable right now and Georgia families deserve access to care without barriers and having to go through complicated enrollment procedures.”
–Knetta Adkins, Georgians for a Healthy Future’s Organizing Manager

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Georgia Medicaid program with work requirement off to slow start even as thousands lose coverage

  • by Sudhin Thanawala
  • Associated Press

“We’ve chosen a much more complicated and lengthy process that will take a long time even for the few folks who get coverage,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of the advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future.

See the article for the full details

100,000 Georgians Lost Medicaid Coverage Last Month

  • Flag Pole

The state’s publicly released information for the unwinding has not included a breakdown for how many enrollees going through the process each month are children.  “These disenrolled individuals are likely children and parents in very low-income households, those living in unstable housing, and children who move between parents, grandparents and other family members for care,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, which is a nonprofit patient advocacy group. “It is very likely that the majority of these kids are still eligible for Medicaid coverage but may not find out until they visit the doctor, try to fill a prescription, or have an emergency.”

There was also a notable decline last month in the rate of automatic renewals, which are done with data the state already has access to—like payroll or unemployment data—and does not require the Medicaid enrollee to do anything. The rate went from nearly 49% in May to about 23% last month. “This data includes some very troubling signs for Georgia families,” Colbert said of the monthly data. “The combination of low automatic renewals and very high disenrollments means that eligible kids and families are losing their Medicaid coverage unnecessarily.”

See the article for the full details

Nearly 100,000 Georgians lost health insurance in early days of Medicaid unwinding

  • by Rebecca Grapevine
  • Atlanta Business Chroncile

“This data includes some very troubling signs for Georgia families,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future.

See the article for the full details

Nearly 100,000 low-income Georgians lost Medicaid health coverage last month

  • by Jill Nolin
  • Georgia Recorder

“These disenrolled individuals are likely children and parents in very low-income households, those living in unstable housing, and children who move between parents, grandparents, and other family members for care,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future, which is a nonprofit patient advocacy group.

“It is very likely that the majority of these kids are still eligible for Medicaid coverage but may not find out until they visit the doctor, try to fill a prescription, or have an emergency,” Colbert said.

There was also a notable decline last month in the rate of automatic renewals, which are done with data the state already has access to – like payroll or unemployment data – and does not require the Medicaid enrollee to do anything. The rate went from nearly 49% in May to about 23% last month.

“This data includes some very troubling signs for Georgia families,” Colbert said of the monthly data released Wednesday. “The combination of low automatic renewals and very high disenrollments means that eligible kids and families are losing their Medicaid coverage unnecessarily.”

See the article for the full details

Your Medicaid and PeachCare Kids eligibility may have changed

  • by Mackenzie Petrie
  • WALB News

“There will be far fewer uninsured folks as a result of this Medicaid renewal process in the states with Medicaid expansion,” said Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. “Georgia is not one of those, so we will see very large coverage losses.”

See the article for the full details