Today is crossover day, what is normally one of the busiest days of the Georgia General Assembly. And yet, the thoughts and actions of many are elsewhere, and thus a few words here about the Covid-19 virus, reeling financial markets, potential government responses, and what the next few weeks will likely look like. Imagine if
This week’s Courier Herald column: It’s been an unusual session of the Georgia General Assembly, even for a gathering where the first rule is to expect the unexpected. It’s been a long time since fissures within the governing majority in Georgia were as public, and with policy proposals and priorities as disparate. Much of the
The following is a guest Op-Ed by Governor Brian Kemp: Georgia is experiencing historic job growth and unmatched economic opportunity in every corner of the state. Participation in the job market is at record highs, unemployment recently dropped to a twenty-year low, and we were named the “#1 State for Business” for the seventh year
This week’s Courier Herald column: If you want the right answers, it’s best to make sure you have asked the right questions. Presidential primaries have a tendency to set the tone on policy debates, as much as we have debates on actual policy anymore. It is through this lens we have accepted as a current
This week’s Courier Herald column: Georgia makes few apologies about being a “business friendly” state. In fact, it promotes the concept as the “number one state to do business” as publicly as possible. Thus, when powerful organizations popular with Georgia’s governing majority party announce opposition to a proposed merger, it is worth some time understanding
This news dropped just before Senator Isakson’s announcement on Wednesday, and didn’t get the attention it may deserve. While it may seem we do a lot of “study” on healthcare issues, there is one item here that seems to have bi-partisan, bi-cameral support: Price Transparency. Patients are tired of surprise billing, and an inability to
Our U.S. Senators from Georgia issued a press release Thursday applauding a proposed rule change to ‘aid rural hospitals.’ The biggest component of the change is an increased Medicare reimbursement for some facilities, which has advocates of rural healthcare reform all kinds of hot and bothered. As someone who used to live within walking distance
“If you want to keep your doctor, you can keep your doctor.” We now know that was “lie of the year” quality material, but the reason that remains a lie goes much deeper than Washington politics. Many of the reasons are rooted right here at home, with a well funded group of established “non-profits” doing
This week’s Courier Herald column: Reform of Georgia’s healthcare system stalled last week when the Georgia House voted down the most sweeping reforms to Georgia’s Certificate of Need (CON) laws in decades. Certificates of Need are essentially state issued monopoly grants that allow hospitals and some other health care providers to operate in a given
Congratulations to Representative-elect Lucy McBath of Georgia’s 6th District. The 6th District garnered national attention during the special election between Karen Handel and Jon Ossoff. The hotly contested battle was one of the first “test” to the Trump election. Millions of dollars poured into the district as the massive campaign began. Democrats around the Nation
