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 Claire Suggs K-12 Education Teaching Pre-K Children Shouldn’t Require a Vow of Poverty July 9, 2014 / March 18, 2021 by Claire Suggs | 2 Comments on Teaching Pre-K Children Shouldn’t Require a Vow of Poverty Pre-Kindergarten teachers are the reason children of all backgrounds across Georgia are better prepared to start school and begin the journey to postsecondary study and the workforce. You wouldn’t guess the critical role they play if you peeked at their paystubs. They earn less than teachers who work in elementary and secondary schools, often far […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net K-12 Education Taifa Smith Butler Starbucks’ Venti Plan to Advance Educational Opportunities June 20, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler | 1 Comment on Starbucks’ Venti Plan to Advance Educational Opportunities This week Starbucks gave me new appreciation for corporations that value employees and show it in meaningful ways. Starbucks made headlines with its announcement that it will provide free college tuition for all its employees through a partnership with Arizona State University’s online program. To obtain financial support for a bachelor’s degree, employees don’t have […] Read more »
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson New Report: At the Bottom of a Broken Ladder June 19, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia could give its low income working families the chance to live better lives and contribute more to the state’s economy by increasing the HOPE Grant award to cover full tuition and fees, expanding access to subsidized child care and expanding access to Medicaid insurance. These are the recommendations included in the Georgia Budget and […] Read more »
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education Georgia College Graduates Start Life with Big Debt Burden June 12, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Student loan debt in Georgia is a growing burden for its college students, but state policymakers are not taking steps to slow the worrisome trend. Most Georgia students graduate from college with loans and their debt burdens are increasing. Existing financial aid programs fall far short of covering the cost of higher education in Georgia. […] Read more »
Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes Hold off Celebration for Modest State Revenue Growth June 11, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Alan Essig Georgia’s revenues are up 4.5 percent over the first 11 months of the 2014 fiscal year. Still, revenues are stubbornly sticking to levels below the historical average for a non-recession year. In the 13 non-recession years between 1993 and 2007 Georgia’s revenue growth averaged 8.2 percent. Georgia takes in $675 million more in revenues with […] Read more » State Budget
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 Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Summer Nutrition Programs Need More Partners June 5, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia summer nutrition programs served less than one in seven needy children in 2013, according to a new report released this week by the Food Research and Action Center. For the second year in a row, Georgia was one of five states to miss out on the most federal money and, as a result, fail […] Read more »
Author Blog Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Income Taxes Aren’t Driving Georgians to Change States May 29, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Georgia’s tax rates do not cause residents to pull up stakes and leave for nearby states with lower income taxes. That may come as a surprise if you listen to claims by anti-tax activists and lawmakers, who routinely say workers and businesses are quick to jump across state lines in search of a lower tax […] Read more »
Author Blog Claire Suggs K-12 Education State Shortchanges Public Schools Again May 22, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs | 3 Comments on State Shortchanges Public Schools Again Georgia is underfunding public schools by $747 million in the 2015 fiscal year that starts July 1, continuing a pattern of ignoring its own funding formula to provide a quality education. The General Assembly underfunded public schools every year since 2002, as calculated by the state’s Quality Basic Education formula. The cuts now total more […] Read more » K-12
