Category: Healthcare

Georgia Seeks Medicare & Medicaid Waivers To Streamline Covid-19 Response

From a press release: Atlanta, GA – Today Governor Kemp and the Department of Community Health (DCH) submitted a request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for an 1135 Medicaid waiver. Concurrently, the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) submitted a request to CMS for a 1135 Medicare waiver. “As we continue fighting COVID-19, these

Covid-19 And The Great Time Out

This week’s Courier Herald column: The byproduct of a nation whose collective citizenry spending most of their focus and energy on immovable gridlock is that policy ceases to exist as the battleground.  Instead of working to push for policy changes in Washington, we’ve acquiesced to wearing our virtues on our sleeves and deeming anyone with

Legislative Priorities Becoming Clear; Economic Outlook Cloudy

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

Doctors & pharmacists seek to block Medicaid merger

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

Proposal for Rural Hospitals May/Might/Probably Will Hurt Rural Hospitals

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