The CHRONIC Care Act of 2017, introduced by Sen. Isakson (R-Ga), Sen. Hatch (R-Utah), Sen. Wyden (D-Ore) and Sen. Warner (D-Va), passed unanimously out of the Senate Finance Committee today and heads to a full Senate vote. The bipartisan legislation could have a major impact on curtailing the cost of Medicare, as the legislation seeks to
Drug treatment centers, colloquially known as methadone clinics, have popped up across northwest Georgia. The clinics have a purpose: to treat those with a drug dependency of heroin and other opioids by treating with methadone. Methadone replaces the drug the person is dependent on and is seen as an effective treatment. It’s also a controversial
This week’s Courier Herald column: This is the second in a series. The introductory column can be found here. During the 1980’s, the Director of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Service Tal DuVall published a study on “Two Georgias”, highlighting the growing disparity between a prosperous and growing metro Atlanta, and a mostly rural “other Georgia”. It
Southeast Georgia is losing another hospital. Optim Medical Center Jenkins in Millen is closing and will merge with Screven Medical Center. The Jenkins location will remain open for 60 days, or until June 24, and all patients currently receiving treatment at the Jenkins County hospital will be directed to Screven Medical Center. The closure will put
In the continuing saga that is the building of a hospital in Columbia County, The Augusta Chronicle reports today that the Georgia Court of Appeals has voted to send the case Doctors Hospital filed against the Georgia Department of Community Health back to Fulton County Superior Court. Doctors Hospital had asked for a judicial review of the
On April 4th, Andy Miller of Georgia Health News alerted readers that Anthem, the parent of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBS), is considering pulling out of the health care exchange market. This will affect the Atlanta marketplace, but there are other insurers these consumers can select. The real trouble is for the 96 Georgia
Hello MAG. It’s time we had a little chat. You guys come to the capitol every year, and talk about reducing the burden of regulation on your physicians so they can be free to practice medicine. It’s a worthy goal, one I’m usually sympathetic to. Or at least, I have been. Do you know where
This week’s Courier Herald column: There was a time in recent Georgia history when it was impolite to talk about the concept of “Two Georgias”. There was the thriving and growing Atlanta – the economic engine of the state. Then, there was everything else. The “Other Georgia”. The people that could see the writing on
This week’s Courier Herald column: In my day job, I spend a good bit of time working on policy solutions in the areas of medicine and education, among other topics. They are complex areas, without singular problems nor singular silver-bullet solutions. The fields appear to have very little in common. And yet, many of the
Two weeks ago I wrote a column debunking the thought that we don’t have significant legalized wagering going on already in Georgia. We do, and it’s available at every corner store, fully backed by the Georgia constitution, and sanctioned and governed by the Georgia Lottery Corporation. We’re more than a little pregnant on the issue.
