Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Georgia Health Coverage Rate Trails 47 States August 8, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Adults in Georgia are more likely to go without health coverage than people in all but two other states, according to a new Gallup survey. Georgia’s adult uninsured rate of 20.2 percent is worse than only Texas’ 24 percent and Mississippi’s 20.6 percent and clocks in nearly 7 points higher than the national average of […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Uninsured Rates Fall in States Expanding Medicaid July 25, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney States that take advantage of new federal money available to extend Medicaid coverage to more residents are seeing substantial declines in uninsured rates this year. It makes sense. Greater Medicaid eligibility increases health coverage, and updated numbers from 2014 provide yet more compelling evidence that Georgia’s failure to expand Medicaid keeps the state’s uninsured rate […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Close Georgia’s Coverage Gap to Stabilize State’s Hospitals July 10, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney States that expanded Medicaid eligibility to close their state’s coverage gap experienced substantial and nearly immediate reductions in charity care cases due to greater Medicaid payments. Those are the findings of a new report by the Colorado Hospital Association, adding new support for the case to increase health coverage for Georgia’s working poor through income […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Georgia’s Rural Health System Needs Comprehensive Exam June 6, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on Georgia’s Rural Health System Needs Comprehensive Exam Georgia’s recently appointed Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee will convene Monday, June 9 for the first time and it should seize the opportunity to fix a health care access problem that cries out for a comprehensive solution. Hospitals are closing in rural Georgia at an alarming rate, including Charlton Memorial, the subject of a recent NPR […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Medicaid Expansion Still Georgia’s Best Way to Bridge Coverage Gap May 12, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney As published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 11, 2014 A quick scan of recent headlines could leave you with the impression two state laws approved this year all but end any conversation about Medicaid expansion in Georgia. Fortunately that isn’t the case, for the sake of more than 500,000 uninsured Georgians, the state’s health […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Newspaper Series Shines Light on What Georgia Loses Without Medicaid Expansion April 17, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Misty Williams just got a well-deserved laurel from the Columbia Journalism Review for her exemplary two-part series that clearly explains the tremendous downside to Georgia’s choice not to expand Medicaid. The second installment of the series last Sunday took a detailed look at the policy choice Georgia is making by not taking […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Legacy of 2014 Legislature was to Make Georgia’s Faulty Health Care Policy Worse April 4, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on Legacy of 2014 Legislature was to Make Georgia’s Faulty Health Care Policy Worse Georgia is home to more residents without health insurance coverage than all but four states. Still, state lawmakers used the 2014 to focus on ways to make it more difficult for Georgians to access benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Georgia is left with its most pressing health care priorities unaddressed. Those priorities include […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Medicaid Expansion Delivers Soaring Premium Tax Revenue From Increased Federal Funding March 7, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on Medicaid Expansion Delivers Soaring Premium Tax Revenue From Increased Federal Funding Amidst the debate in the Georgia House over House Bill 990 this week, a representative questioned if new Medicaid expansion-related revenue from Georgia’s insurance premium tax can accurately be projected to offset the cost of enrolling more low-income people. I would like to tackle that question in this blog. This requires explaining some of the […] Read more »
Author Library Presentations Timothy Sweeney Overview of Recent Changes to GA State Health Benefit Plan March 6, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney Given by: Timothy Sweeney, Director of Health Policy | March 5, 2014 Overview of Recent Changes to GA State Health Benefit Plan Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Fact Check: Georgia Gets Money’s Worth from Medicaid February 26, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 1 Comment on Fact Check: Georgia Gets Money’s Worth from Medicaid It’s frustrating to hear the cost-effectiveness of Georgia’s existing Medicaid program bashed as opponents of eligibility expansion stretch for reasons to justify legislation rushing through the General Assembly this year. Georgia gets a great value from its investment in Medicaid and PeachCare. The two programs will combine to provide health coverage to more than 1.9 […] Read more »
