Bill analysis updated on Mar. 10, 2016. Please see updated draft.
Georgia lawmakers are considering a $250 million tax credit program for individual and corporate donations to hospitals in rural or nearly-rural Georgia communities. House Bill 919 is designed to create private investment incentives for rural hospitals to help shore up their finances. The flawed legislation contains very few reporting requirements or guidelines to direct where the money goes or how benefitting hospitals use it.
The proposal offers an inefficient way for the state to invest in struggling rural hospitals. The proposal also fails to leverage money available to match state investment in health care, such as Medicaid. Read the full bill analysis.