Kelly McCutchen
Kelly McCutchen is the executive vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. He is a native of Ellijay, Georgia, and a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was assistant vice president of Trust Company Bank in Atlanta before joining the Foundation in 1993.
His writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Georgia Trend and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has appeared on Georgia Week in Review and other television and radio shows.
At the Foundation, he has helped create the Civic Renewal Project that highlights the work of outstanding community-based organizations, as well as the "No Excuses" program to recognize and study high achieving, high poverty public schools.
He has served on the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Board of Trustees and is currently on the Board of Leadership Georgia. Mr. McCutchen chairs the Governing Board of Tech High, a math, science and technology-focused public charter school in Atlanta.
Friday, October 3, 2008Georgia Considers Health Insurance Tax HikeUp to 5.5% on Private Health Insurance By Kelly McCutchenCategories: GeorgiaThe Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) recently announced its intention to apply a new tax on private health insurance.This proposed tax could potentially increase the cost of private health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of Georgians by up to 5.5 percent and open the door to even higher increases down the road. Kirk McGhee argues against this policy in"Who Will Pay Cost of a Georgia "Health Tax?"
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Tuesday, September 2, 2008Agenda 2009 ReleasedHealth care recommendations for Georgia build on last year's success By Kelly McCutchenCategories: GeorgiaHealth care reform is the latest chapter in Agenda 2009, the biennial candidate briefing book that is being rolled out over the next few weeks by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. Building on Georgia's significant reforms of last year, the focus this year premium assistance as an alternative to expansion of government programs and the funding of a high-risk pool.
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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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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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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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