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The Peach Pulse, December 2015
Upcoming Events
Health Care Unscrambled 2016
It’s not too late to register! Health Care Unscrambled, GHF’s signature event, is this Thursday. Join us for breakfast and conversation with a bipartisan panel of legislators who are focusing on health policy issues under the Gold Dome this session. Then stick around for a deep dive on emerging issues for health advocates with Lynn Quincy of Consumers Union and Sue Polis from Trust for America’s Health.
Webinar: A Look Ahead at Health Care Policy in the 2016 Georgia Legislative Session
Can’t make it to Health Care Unscrambled? You can still getthe information you need to advocate on health care policy issues in the 2016 legislative session by attending our upcoming webinar. We will preview expected health care legislation, present GHF’s policy priorities, and let you know how you can get involved. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 21st, noon to 1 pm.
Getting What You Pay For: Consumer Protections for Network Adequacy, Surprise Medical Bills, and Provider Directories
February 2, 2016 – 8am
Freight Depot, Blue Room
Join us and Georgia Watch for a policy forum featuring an in-depth panel discussion on network adequacy, surprise medical bills and provider directories. Panelists will speak on how these issues are impacting consumers in Georgia and across the nation, policy implications, current legislative work and how you can get involved in supporting advocacy efforts.
The panel will feature:
- Senator Dean Burke, District 11
- Julie Silas, Consumer Union
- Meredith Gonsahn, Georgians for a Healthy Future
- Beth Stephens, Georgia Watch
Policy Updates
Study committee work has finished, reports trickle in
Georgia legislative study committees meet during the off-session to study and make recommendations for the General Assembly around specific policy issues. GHF has been following and participating in the study committees focused on health issues impacting consumers. Read our Health Policy Analyst Meredith Gonsahn’s blog for a run-down of committees that have published their reports, the issues they investigated, and report recommendations.
GHF releases our policy priorities
The 2016 Legislative Session has officially begun and at GHF we have released our 2016 policy priorities. You can download the PDF below or you can watch the one minute video by clicking on the image to the right for a quick run-down!
ACA Implementation Research Network
In December, the ACA Implementation Research Network released its Georgia state report at a policy forum held at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. The report provides a detailed look at the key decisions made by Georgia policymakers around the implementation of the Affordable Care Act over the past five years. Georgians for a Healthy Future’s Executive Director Cindy Zeldin participated in a discussion with advocates, policymakers, and stakeholders to reflect on the report’s findings. The conversation ranged from health insurance enrollment best practices to health system reform to what it will take to close the coverage gap in Georgia. The ACA Implementation Research Network is jointly operated by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the Brookings Institution, and the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. The Georgia state report was written by Michael Rich, Professor of Political Science and Environmental Sciences at Emory University.Enrollment Update
By the 9th week of Open Enrollment 3, more than 8.6 million consumers nationally and 517,000 in Georgia have enrolled in health care coverage through the Marketplace. In addition to GHF’s collaborative work with the enrollment assistance community, we also help individuals and families enroll in health insurance! We have assisted more than 70 individuals and families with enrollment and post enrollment related services, and enrolled 60 consumers into Marketplace plans during OE3. GHF continues to provide enrollment and post enrollment assistance to consumers through its main office in downtown Atlanta, its weekly enrollment site at Switzer public library in Marietta, and through other events in partnership with community organizations, coalition partners, and other non-profit organizations.New Look, Same GHF
Have you been to our website recently? If you haven’t, you should! We have revamped our site to be more engaging and intuitive. It’s chock full of tools and resources to help you get up to speed on the issues you care about and to take action during the legislative session and throughout the year.
GHF in the News
Gainsville Times | December 30, 2015
AJC | December 22, 2015
Atlanta Business Chronicle | December 18, 2015
Georgia Health News | December 15, 2015
GHF Welcomes New Intern!
Victoria Congleton joins the GHF team in our efforts to improve health policies in Georgia. Victoria will work on various tasks during her time with GHF to learn about all of the components of health advocacy in Georgia. Victoria hopes to learn more about the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, health policies, the legislative session, and other health topics. She is currently finishing up her Bachelors in Community Health and French at SUNY Potsdam.
ICYMI: GHF is on LinkedIn
GHF has joined the LinkedIn community and we’d love to connect with you! Check out our page, follow us and let the conversations begin!