CHICAGO -- Consumer representatives praised state insurance regulators for urging Congress to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, and encouraged the regulators to keep up the pressure during a…
Blog ()
- Home
- >
- health equity
Tag: health equity
By: Knetta Adkins
On August 2nd, I had the opportunity to meet with Secretary Xavier Becerra, the 25th Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. During his August trip to Georgia, Secretary Becerra hosted a roundtable with community leaders to hear about the health care concerns and challenges most affecting Georgians. Congresswomen Carolyn Bordeaux, Lucy McBath, and Nikema Williams, state Representative Matthew Wilson, and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms participated in the roundtable, as well as representatives from Community Catalyst, Protect Our Care Georgia, and others. It was an exciting moment to represent Georgians for a Healthy Future and share on behalf of the marginalized Georgians for whom we advocate.
(more…)Long-standing systemic and structural racism has led to the deep health disparities that as health advocates we regularly reference:
Rates of COVID-19 among Black Georgians outpace their share of the state’s population.
Black mothers in Georgia are twice as likely to give birth to a low-birthweight baby as white Georgians.
Rates of HIV diagnosis are among Black Georgians are six times higher than among white Georgians and more than twice the state’s overall rate.
Black Georgians report higher rates of asthma, diabetes, and other chronic diseases compared to Georgians of other races and ethnicities.
Black Georgians experience higher levels of poverty, food insecurity, and joblessness, all of which impact their health.
The same racist systems & structures that have produced these health outcomes have led to the murders of black people in Georgia and across the country.
This reality and the systems that allow it to persist are not new. Both are unacceptable.
Georgians for a Healthy Future stands with its Black staff, board members, and partners to affirm that Black lives matter. Through our policy advocacy, coalition building and community engagement, GHF is committed to dismantling the racist structures that threaten the health and well-being of Black Georgians and their communities. GHF is also committed to examining our own organizational structures and practices for ways in which we can more fully embody equity, a process which we began earlier this year.
As GHF continues our imperfect work in pursuit of racial justice and health equity, we invite you to join us:
- Contact your elected officials, including your mayor, city council members, and district attorney to advocate for accountability and change, such as the policy changes recommended by the American Public Health Association and PolicyLink
- Want more advocacy? Contact Governor Kemp and your state legislators and ask them to expand Medicaid when they return to the state Capitol this month. More than one-third of uninsured, low-income Georgians who could gain health coverage through Medicaid are Black and more than half are people of color
- Donate to Black-led health advocacy and service organizations like the Black Mamas Matter, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Center for Black Women’s Wellness, Feminist Women’s Health Center, SisterSong, SOWEGA Rising, and other groups serving your community
- Vote, volunteer and seek other ways to be active in your community
- Build power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities: Support BVM Capacity Building Institute and help provide training and support for community‑based organizations
- For non-black allies: deepen your understanding of how racism affects all of us by reading anti‑racism resources and having conversations with your family and friends
- Take care of yourself and your loved ones
As Georgia faces the public health emergency of COVID-19, it can be hard to be optimistic about our health and our futures. However, Georgians for a Healthy Future believes that our state can successfully overcome this tremendous challenge if Georgians adhere to the advice of public health experts and our state’s leaders swiftly adopt evidence-based policies that protect the health and safety of all Georgians. At the same time, Georgia leaders must look ahead to ways they can promote the health and well-being of all Georgians in the economically challenging months to come. Georgians for a Healthy Future has identified policy priorities that we believe are necessary for success in addressing the immediate public health emergency and the emerging economic consequences. These are the policies that we will fight for as we continue our fight for the health and wellness of all Georgians.
Our recommendations are shaped by feedback from GHF’s board of directors, partner advocacy organizations, local groups helping Georgians in their communities, and stories from Georgians just like you. You can share your COVID-19 experiences with GHF here. Thank you for your generous input.
As the status of this crisis changes and we gather more information, you can find updates to these policy recommendations and actionable information here.
Health system capacity and public safety
GHF supports:
- Statewide and local shelter-in-place orders and other aggressive social distancing practices to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus
- Funding to quickly expand the capacity of Georgia’s Department of Public Health to test and monitor the spread of COVID-19
- Funding to purchase personal protective equipment for health care workers
- Funding to purchase equipment for patient care like ventilators and respirators
- Maximizing the scope of practice for all qualified and licensed health care providers (e.g. physicians assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses)
- Expanding options and health coverage of telehealth and virtual visits in all medically appropriate circumstances
Access to quality, affordable health care for all Georgians
GHF supports:
- Maximizing Medicaid flexibility and funding to increase access to care by:
- Expanding Medicaid to all poor and near-poor Georgians (those making less than 138 percent of the federal poverty line)
- Taking advantage of emergency 1135 waivers to increase the number of providers who can see Georgians with Medicaid coverage
- Adopting administrative changes to preserve coverage for current Medicaid members and to enroll Georgians who are already eligible but unenrolled, including the expansion of presumptive and retroactive eligibility and a halt on the annual renewal process
- Expanding coverage of home- and community-based services and long-term services and supports
- Expanding access and protections in comprehensive private health coverage
- Promoting enrollment for people who qualify for private insurance, especially among those who are eligible for financial assistance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by:
- Establishing a new Special Enrollment Period for people who wish to purchase health insurance now
- Easing the enrollment and paperwork requirements for people enrolling in coverage due to job loss or income changes
- Prohibiting health insurers from canceling a consumer’s coverage, even if they fall behind on premium payments
- Eliminating cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing (and related tests) and treatment
- Limiting the sale of plans that do not offer comprehensive benefits or follow the standards set by the ACA
- Establishing comprehensive surprise billing protections
- Promoting enrollment for people who qualify for private insurance, especially among those who are eligible for financial assistance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by:
- Promoting access to mental health services and substance use recovery supports for all Georgians
- Easing limits on prescription drugs so that consumers can more easily access 90-day supplies of medications
Equity at the center of the response
This pandemic will hit some Georgia communities harder than others. All federal and state policy remedies should endure to offer the most help to those who are disadvantaged due to income, race or ethnicity, disability or health status, age, geography, and other factors. Georgia’s response must proactively address health equity concerns. Among other strategies, this should include disseminating public health messages that include information about affected groups and communities in languages and contexts they understand and directing additional funding to community health centers and other providers that serve disproportionately impacted communities.
Meeting the basic needs of Georgians and their families
As evidenced by yesterday’s job loss statistics, it is imperative that the public health response to the COVID-19 crisis be followed by an ambitious economic response. GHF supports policies that provide equitable opportunities for stability, dignity, and well-being for all Georgia families. While not an exhaustive list, these policies include:
- Expanded access to Georgia’s unemployment insurance system, including 26 weeks of benefits and the easing of eligibility requirements and activities.
- A moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, the provision of rental assistance and mortgage forbearance, and other supports that keep Georgians in their homes
- Improved access to nutritious foods through SNAP, WIC, school system food programs, and other public programs
- Universal paid family leave that allows workers regardless of income to take time off to care for themselves and their loved ones in times of sickness and crisis
- A moratorium on utility shut offs, including internet access so that families can keep the lights on and children can continue to learn remotely
GHF will support partner organizations in their efforts to advocate for these policies and supports for Georgia families and individuals.
Some of these policies have been adopted or partially adopted by federal officials, Governor Kemp, and state agency officials. GHF thanks Georgia leaders for the actions they have already taken. In the coming weeks, GHF will track which policies are fully implemented, partially adopted, or not taken up at all, and will provide updates accordingly.
Thank you for your support and advocacy. We wish you health and safety!
Legislative Update: Week 8
General Assembly continues work on budgets ahead of Crossover Day
Last week the Senate passed their version of the FY2020 state budget (the “little budget”). This week the House and Senate will appoint a conference committee to work out the remaining differences in their versions of the little budget before it gets a final approval by both chambers. This morning the House Appropriations committee has passed its version of the FY2021 budget, which will begin July 1st of this year and run through June 30, 2021. The big budget will be considered by the full House chamber later this week.
Committee hearings will continue in earnest as legislators try to move their priority bills ahead of this week’s Crossover Day deadline. (Crossover Day is the 28th day of session and the deadline by which bills must pass the House or the Senate in order to remain viable to become law.) In next week’s legislative update, we will run down which health bills were left on the cutting room floor and which ones remain viable for this year.
Bill introduced to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage
Legislation would allow moms to keep Medicaid coverage up to six months after giving birth
HB 1114, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Cooper, would allow new mothers to receive Medicaid coverage for six months after giving birth. Currently, pregnant women covered by Medicaid are covered only up to 60 days after their birth or miscarriage. Due to restrictive Medicaid eligibility requirements for Georgia parents and because Georgia has not expanded Medicaid to all low-income adults, many mothers who try to apply for Medicaid after the 60 days are ineligible and become uninsured. The bill has been referred to the House Health & Human Services committee and has the support of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, GHF, and other consumer health advocacy groups.
Learn more about this legislation and maternal health in Georgia in a new blog from the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute.
Surprise billing and Gracie’s Law approved
Surprise billing protections are another step closer to passage
Companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate last month to ban surprise out-of-network medical billing (also called surprise billing) in emergency and non-emergency situations. Last week the House passed its version of this important consumer-focused legislation, HB 888. The Senate has already approved SB 359, which closely mirrors the House bill. The Senate bill is expected to be amended in the House Special Committee on Access to Quality Health Care so that it exactly matches the House version and better protects against surprise bills in emergency situations. Both bills are expected to be considered up by their respective committees after Crossover Day.
Gracie’s Law moves on to Senate
Gracie’s Law (HB 842), sponsored by Rep. Rick Williams, would protect people with disabilities from being removed from organ donor waiting lists because of their disabilities. Gracie’s Law was approved by the House on February 28th and is now in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The bill is supported by The Arc of Georgia, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, and other disability advocacy organizations.
(For more on this bill, please read our earlier legislative update.)
Pharmacy benefit manager legislation keeps moving
Four bills to reform PBM practices in Georgia move forward ahead of Crossover Day
Georgia’s House and Senate continued their efforts last week to change how pharmacy benefit managers operate in Georgia. Pharmacy benefit managers (commonly called PBMs) are companies that manage prescription drug benefits for health insurance companies.
HB 946 and HB 947, both sponsored by Rep. Matt Knight and HB 918, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Cooper, were passed by the House on Wednesday. HB 946 was referred to the Senate Insurance and Labor committee, and HB 918 and HB 947 were referred to the Senate Health and Human Services committee. Similarly, SB 313sponsored by Senator Dean Burke, was approved by the Senate on Thursday.
(For an overview of the bills, please read our March 2nd legislative update.)
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 ActionNetwork (GHAN) to receive action alerts that let you know when there are opportunities for advocacy and action
- Track health-related legislation
- GHF’s 2019-2020 legislative priorities
Legislative Update: Week 6
Legislative session has resumed
After more than a week-long break to consider the state budget, the Georgia General Assembly resumed its normal schedule last week. The House of Representatives approved the amended FY20 budget on Wednesday and continues its consideration of the FY2021 budget. Even as the budget takes center stage, health-related legislation is beginning to make progress in both the House and Senate.
Today marks Day 17 (out of 40) of this year’s legislative session.
Senate vote expected today on surprise billing legislation
Senate committee approves legislation, House committee will reconsider surprise billing bill
Companion bills were introduced in the House and Senate last month to ban surprise out-of-network medical billing (also called surprise billing) in emergency and non-emergency situations. Last Tuesday the House Special Committee on Access to Quality Health Care heard testimony from insurers, advocates, and medical providers about the House legislation, HB 888. While the bill was narrowly passed by the committee that day, the House Rules committee has since sent the bill back (or “recommitted”) to the committee for further consideration.
The companion bill, SB 359, was approved on Wednesday by the Senate Health and Human Services committee. The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Hufstetler, includes changes that better protect consumers from receiving surprise bills from hospitals after emergency situations. (The bill already included physicians in emergency situations.) The Senate is expected to vote on SB 359 this morning, and if approved, the bill will move to the House for its consideration.
Amended FY20 budget passed by House
House makes sizeable changes to Gov. Kemp’s proposed budget
The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to approve the amended FY2020 state budget, which ends June 30th of this year. The version passed by the House erases many of Governor Kemp’s proposed cuts including funding reduction to the Georgia Poison Center, Mercer and Morehouse Schools of Medicine and the Rural Health Systems Innovation Center at Mercer. Cuts to local county health departments across the state were reduced from $6.3 million to $3.7 million.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) saw $9 million in cuts restored in the areas of intensive family support services, adult crisis stabilization beds, behavioral health core services, and other areas. DBHDD will still see a net loss of $25.7 million under this budget, but that cut is down from $34.4 million.
You can see the changes made by the House in the FY20 Track Sheet. The Senate will now take up this year’s amended budget and the House will turn its attention to the FY2021 budget which takes effect July 1, 2020.
Vaping and organ transplant bills move forward
Bills to raise the age of purchase for tobacco & nicotine products approved by Senate committee
Multiple pieces of legislation were introduced this year that would change the way Georgia regulates tobacco, vaping devices and other nicotine products. SB 298, sponsored by Sen. Renee Unterman, would increase the age at which Georgians are allowed to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21 years of age, among other things. The Senate Regulated Industries and Utilities committee approved SB 298 last week. The bill must now be passed by the Senate Rules committee in order to receive a vote by the full Senate. (For an overview of the bill, please read our Jan. 21st legislative update.)
Gracie’s Law passed by House Insurance committee
Gracie’s Law (HB 842), which would protect people with disabilities from being removed from organ donor waiting lists because of their disabilities, was approved by the House Insurance committee last week. Sponsored by Rep. Rick Williams, the bill is supported by The Arc of Georgia, the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, and other disability advocacy organizations. The bill is expected to receive a vote by the full House of Representatives this week. (For more on this bill, please read our earlier legislative update.)
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 ActionNetwork (GHAN) to receive action alerts that let you know when there are opportunities for advocacy and action
- Track health-related legislation
- GHF’s 2019-2020 legislative priorities
Nationwide transgender individuals face significant barriers to accessing health care because of their gender identity; however, little is known about the experiences of the estimated 55,000 transgender individuals in Georgia as they interact with the health care system. Understanding the health care needs, access barriers, and discrimination experiences of transgender individuals in Georgia can inform the work of advocates, stakeholders, and policymakers to reach the shared goal of ensuring health equity for all Georgians, especially transgender Georgians.
To inform the public about these barriers to care, Georgians for a Healthy Future, Georgia Equality, and The Health Initiative are releasing a policy brief, Voices for Equity: How the experiences of transgender Georgians can inform the implementation of nondiscrimination provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
Voices for Equity: How the experiences of transgender Georgians can inform the implementation of the ACA’s nondiscrimination provisions
The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was notable not only for increasing access to health insurance coverage for millions of Americans but also for its broad non-discrimination provisions. Section 1557 of the ACA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in many health programs and activities. The final rule determined that discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sex stereotyping are equally prohibited under Section 1557, and as a result, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Georgians have protections from discrimination in health coverage and care for the first time. To better understand the challenges that transgender Georgians may face when accessing health care, GHF, GE, and THI collected data and information from transgender Georgians that provided compelling narrative of barriers that transgender individuals routinely face when seeking health care and utilizing their health insurance.
The goals of this policy brief are:
- describe the protections for transgender individuals under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.
- discuss the results from a series of transgender focus groups and survey of the LGBTQ community in Georgia, and the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey to understand transgender individuals’ experiences in health care.
- recommend actions that health care providers, policy makers, and advocates can take to support improved health care access and equity for transgender Georgians.
Resources for LGBT consumers
Thanks to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, LGBT Georgians have protections from discrimination in health coverage and care for the first time. If you believe you have been discriminated against, it is important to file a 1557 complaint with the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services. GHF and our partners can help you with that! Visit GHF’s LGBT Health Equity page for more information and help to file your complaint.
Stay Connected
GHF In The News
Archive
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- October 2023
- July 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- June 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- July 2014
- May 2014
- March 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009