Georgia
Health Policy rankings
| Health Indicators | Rank |
| Population | 8,836,611 |
| Number of insurance mandates | 39 |
| Death rate per 100,000 | 925.2 |
| Percent of adults overweight or obese | 60.50% |
| Percent of adults who have visited a dentist in the last 12 months | 68.20% |
| Number of births (2004) | 138,849 |
| Ranking public policy | Rank |
| Overall health ownership rank | 41 |
| Government health care rank | 34 |
| Private health insurance rank | 40 |
| Medical tort rank | 22 |
| Provider burden of regulation rank | 32 |
Sources
*Policy ranks are from the U.S. Index of Health Ownership, published by the Pacific Research Institute.
*Health indicators are from State Health Facts, a service of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
*Number of insurance mandates comes from Health Insurance Mandates in the States 2007 (PDF), a publication of the Council for Affordable Health Insurance.
State Policy Network member
Government offices
Saturday, May 10, 2008500,000 in Georgia Enabled to Purchase Health InsuranceBy Grace-Marie TurnerCategories: GeorgiaA new Georgia law will result in Georgia families having the best health insurance options available in any state. The law makes premiums for health savings account-eligible plans 100% deductible against state income tax for individuals. It also allows a $250 tax credit per employee for small employers who offer HSAs to their employees. By creating opportunities for Georgia insurance companies to offer new, innovative products not only will the state benefit from a robust and competitive marketplace, but also a half million uninsured Georgians will soon have access to health coverage, says the Center for Health Transformation.
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Friday, May 9, 2008Georgia Awards Transparency Web Site ContractSite will provide Health Care Cost and Quality Comparisons By Kelly McCutchenCategories: GeorgiaOn the heels of enacting major health reform earlier this week, Georgia tied up some loose ends from last year's legislative session by awarding the contract for a designed to give consumers access to cost and quality data. The Web site, modeled after Florida's, is scheduled to go live in September.
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Friday, May 9, 2008More on Georgia's ReformsBy John LaPlanteCategories: GeorgiaAs Kelly McCutchen mentioned yesterday, Georgia has enacted some significant health care reforms. Jim Frogue, of the Center for Health Transformation passes along some follow-up information, saying "Keep an eye on the Georgia health insurance market these next few years." If you'd like to see what the legislation actually looks like, click here and here. You can also, he says, find copious amount of background information from the center.
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Thursday, May 8, 2008Georgia on my MindBy Justin P. HaukeCategories: Georgia, MissouriYesterday, Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed a comprehensive health care reform bill similar to Missouri's landmark HB 818 legislation, which passed last year. The Show-Me Institute has praised HB 818 on our blog over and over (and elsewhere), but it seems Georgia has one-upped even that innovative piece of legislation (extensive coverage can be found here). The most significant improvement in Georgia’s health insurance reform bill is a provision which allows insurers to provide incentives for healthy behavior. For example, health insurance companies will be able to reward individuals for adopting “healthy behavior” such as quitting smoking or losing weight. This provision will go a long way in reducing long-term costs. In addition, the law mimics HB 818 in making the premiums paid on Health Savings Account-eligible insurance plans 100 percent deductible against personal state income taxes. To encourage employers to participate (particularly small businesses), the bill also allows a $250 tax credit per employee for employers that offer HSAs. The bill also improves upon earlier legislation in that it allows health insurance to be sold across state lines, rather than through the monopolistic cartels that currently exist. So Georgians now have the opportunity to purchase HSA plans provided by Missouri companies. The increase in competition will help improve quality while lowering premium costs. It’s really refreshing to see positive health care legislation being passed around the country. Makes me less of a cynic.
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Thursday, May 8, 2008Georgia Passes Significant Health Care ReformMeasure helps companies help employees purchase portable insurance By Kelly McCutchenCategories: GeorgiaGeorgia became a national leader in health care reform this week after Gov. Sonny Perdue signed two bills into law at the Atlanta Medical Center. This practical legislation addresses some of health care’s biggest challenges – the high cost of insurance, inequities in the tax code, the lack of portability and the increasing toll of chronic disease. Other states have attempted broader reforms that have failed (California and Illinois) or are struggling (Massachusetts). But John Goodman, president and CE0 of the National Center for Policy Analysis described Georgia’s as “very significant reforms.” “Georgia is now the second state in the union to allow employers to help their employees obtain personal and portable health insurance – the type of insurance that employees own and can take with them when they move form job to job,” Goodman said. Ron Bachman, a Georgia-based actuary with extensive experience in health care strategy for payers, providers and employers, says insurers are ready to develop the more flexible and affordable products allowed under this legislation. “Brokers and insurance agents are excited about reaching out to many previously uninsured Georgians who will now be able to afford private insurance,” Bachman said. “This also establishes affordable individual portable coverage not dependent on employment, with many of the tax advantages of employment-based coverage.” Georgia’s legislation authorizes the state’s insurance commissioner to fast-track approval of the most affordable type of health insurance – high-deductible health plans (HDHPs). The legislation eliminates both state and local premium taxes on HDHPs – taxes that today are as high as nearly 5% in some counties. Georgia eliminates a major tax inequity by allowing individuals to deduct 100% of their insurance premiums from their state income taxes. (If only the federal government would follow our lead!) Additionally, small businesses with less than 50 employees will now be able to fund a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)-only plan. Employees will be able to use the pre-tax funds in these accounts to purchase individual health insurance and/or for medical expenses. Most importantly, Georgia’s new legislation addresses chronic disease. Spending on individuals with chronic diseases such diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or depression makes up 75% of all the money spent on health care in Georgia; some argue the number is higher. Currently, financial incentives are deemed to be "illegal business practices." This legislation eliminates that prohibition. Georgia’s new laws don’t address every problem. Health insurance is still out of reach financially for too many low-income Georgians and many Georgians lack access to health care and/or insurance due to their health status or geographic location. As legislators continue on the path toward resolving those challenges, they deserve congratulations for the bold, practical and significant steps they’ve taken in addressing an issue that impacts every Georgian.
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Monday, April 21, 2008When Legislators Decide Business Success ...... businesses will give money to legislators By John LaPlanteCategories: Certificates of Need (CON), GeorgiaThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution finds that health care interests shower money on Georgia legislators: "In the final days before the start of the 2008 legislative session, a health care company lobbying for a law to help it get into the Georgia market doled out $41,000 in campaign contributions to more than 50 lawmakers and top state officials." How can this be? The AJC itself holds the answer: "The state spends billions of dollars a year providing health care to Georgians, and many companies have a big stake in the state budget." Cancer Treatment Centers of America, which stands to benefit from a new Certificate of Need law that would open up the state to its business, was not alone in giving money to legislators. In fact, it appears that the company was outspent by hospitals that wished to keep it out of the state: "The strongest opposition came from the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, a powerful group representing nonprofit hospitals across the state. The group, which objected to the cancer hospital and other proposed changes to the state's health care regulatory system, gave almost $60,000 to more than 70 lawmakers in December, the month before the session."
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Sunday, March 23, 2008HSAs for GeorgiaBy John LaPlanteCategories: Georgia, HSAs, etc.Though HSAs have been around for a couple of years now, a lot of people still don't know what they are. The Georgia Public Policy Foundation offers a fact sheet on health savings accounts.
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Friday, February 1, 2008Georgia Moves Forward with Free Market Health Care ReformsDeregulation and Tax Reductions for HSA-eligible policies By Kelly McCutchenCategories: GeorgiaGeorgia Gov. Sonny Perdue, along with Sen. Judson Hill and Rep. Mickey Channell, announced a free market health care reform package this week targeting Georgians without health insurance. A combination of tax reductions and removal of regulatory barriers are designed to reduce the uninsured in Georgia by 500,000, or almost one-third. A key component of the plan is financial incentives, currently illegal in Georgia, for prevention and compliance with disease management plans. The bill would eliminate state income tax (6%) and state and local premium taxes (up to 7%) on high-deductible health insurance premiums paid by individuals.
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Wednesday, August 29, 2007Georgia Lt. Gov. Cagle Proposes Health Care ReformsHealth Marketplace and Tax Credits for Physicians Volunteering at Clinics By Kelly McCutchenCategories: Georgia, Retail ClinicsLt. Gov. Casey Cagle outlined brief details on two health care proposals last week. The "Georgia Health Marketplace" appears to be an effort at a more market-oriented connector or exchange. Small businesses could purchase insurance through the marketplace, but the options would include "any plan that meets the current standards for sale in our state." It also would include the ability for individuals to buy medical services directly from physicians or hospitals, although the details on how this would avoid being classified as an insurance product have not been disclosed. It also is unclear how the plan will provide portability and if it will allow employee premium contributions to be excluded from income and payroll taxes. The "Safety Net Program" would redirect existing indigent care dollars to encourage cooperation among providers to establish clinics for individuals under 300% of the poverty level. The plan would also use tax credits as incentives for doctors to participate in these clinics, as well as existing free and faith-based clinics throughout the state.
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Thursday, August 9, 2007Georgia Governor Proposes Plan for UninsuredBy Kelly McCutchenCategories: GeorgiaGov. Sonny Perdue announced the Health InsurancePartnership for Georgia plan this week. The press release states:
The goal is to offer this segment of Georgia’s uninsured a variety of options for private health care coverage. The options vary based mostly on the level of premium the employee chooses to pay, such as:
The employer must offer at least the Benchmark plan to its employees if they choose to participate. Employees will not qualify if he or she already has access to health insurance through an employer, a spouse’s employer, or qualifies for Medicaid or TRICARE. All participants must be a legal resident of Georgia. Under Governor Perdue’s proposal, the plan will be funded by General Appropriations and federal funds. The Department of Community Health (DCH) will apply for a federal 1115 Waiver, which allows changes to benefits, reimbursement and coverage of expansion groups. Through the waiver process, the state will commit to a program that can be formally evaluated.
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