Senior Policy Analyst, Health Care

Laura Harker

Laura Harker is a senior policy analyst at GBPI where she is responsible for researching and reporting on Georgia’s health policies and related spending.

Prior to joining GBPI in 2016, Laura conducted public health research, policy analysis, and advocacy on food insecurity and poverty issues as a fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center in Washington, D.C. She produced policy briefs and reports to provide evidence-based recommendations for state and national lawmakers. She worked with the Office of the Associate Director for Policy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a graduate student to conduct policy assessments and impact analysis in support of the National Prevention Strategy.

Laura graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a master’s degree in public health policy from Emory University.

Recent Posts by Laura

Emergency-Room Blog

A Health Insurance Card in Every Georgian’s Pocket

Thousands of Georgians are stuck without any affordable options for health insurance because state leaders repeatedly reject billions ...
Colquitt-Regional-696x453 Blog

Legislation Proposes Steps to Improve Rural Health Care, Omits Major Coverage Solution

State lawmakers introduced several bills this year aiming to improve access to health care in rural Georgia. Six ...
Pill-bottle-696x462 Health Justice

Overview: 2019 Fiscal Year Budget for Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities

Gov. Nathan Deal’s budget proposal for the 2019 fiscal year adds $50.6 million more than last year’s budget ...
Pediatrician-with-patient Health Justice

Overview: 2019 Fiscal Year Budget for the Department of Community Health

Gov. Nathan Deal proposes a 2019 budget of $2.79 billion in state general funds for the Department of ...
health_coverage Fact Sheets

Fast facts on Georgia’s coverage gap

Updated Jan 17, 2019 Georgia’s Health Coverage Gap State lawmakers can put an insurance card in the pockets of ...
North-Georgia-hospital-696x464 Blog

Governor’s Vision for Georgia Omits Help for Struggling Health Care System

Gov. Nathan Deal delivered his final state of the state remarks yesterday without addressing Georgia’s growing rural health ...
Ready-to-Close-Coverage-Gap-696x465 Blog

Georgia Ready to Close Coverage Gap

Closing the Gap is Good for Georgia’s Economy As new enrollees gain access to health coverage, the money ...
Counseling Health Justice

Fight Substance Abuse, Improve Mental Health Care to Help More Georgians

Improving the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders is critical to ensure the ...
ER-sign-696x463 Blog

Graham-Cassidy Bill Risks Health Coverage and Pre-Existing Condition Protections for Georgians

The U.S. Senate plans to vote next week on yet another proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable ...
Nurse-talking-to-mother-and-daughter-696x464 Blog

Georgia Takes Steps to Strengthen the Health Care Workforce

Georgia lawmakers are scheduled to meet Monday to study barriers that block Georgians’ access to adequate health care. ...
Dr-visit-696x464 Blog

How to Protect and Expand Health Care Access in Georgia

The defeat of health care legislation in the U.S. Senate last week marked a milestone in the effort ...
maxresdefault-4 Budget Primer

Georgia Health Budget Primer for State Fiscal Year 2018

Georgia Health Care Budget Overview Health care services are primarily delivered through three state agencies: the departments of ...

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