By Dr. Harry Heiman Last month, Gov. Brian Kemp revealed two new health care waiver proposals. While they were presented as Georgia-focused solutions to improve health care access and affordability, the current proposals fail to meaningfully address either problem. Unfortunately, our state leadership is missing an opportunity to expand access to care, stabilize rural and…
By Della “Trip” Stoner Price gouging by large, brand-name pharmaceutical companies has sparked a crisis of affordability for Georgia patients — a crisis that demands action from our elected officials in Washington. Insulin, a medication that I, like the approximately 1.1 million other Georgians living with diabetes, need every day to survive, provides a perfect illustration of…
By Gerald Arkin It’s been about a year since my daughter was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease. More precisely the diagnosis was tertiary, or third stage, meaning she went undiagnosed for years after being bitten by an infected tick. Prior to her diagnosis, there were years of doctor appointments in various specialties, with varieties of…
By State Rep. Kim Schofield Federally sponsored health care programs often start with the best intentions and have the potential to be successful in reducing the cost of quality health care across the nation. The 340B Drug Discount Program was created by Congress in 1992. The program requires that prescription drug manufacturers provide deep discounts…
By Geoff Duncan It’s Christmas morning, and sadly the Atlanta patient is bedridden, unable to spend the most important holiday of the year with family because she has come down with a bad case of the flu. Certainly, there isn’t a doctor’s office nor urgent care clinic open on Christmas. But due to advances in…
By Bernie Tokarz While lawmakers in Washington debate the nuances of broader health care policy, uninsured Americans are still turning to local hospitals to access basic care, and those hospitals are still on the hook for the costs of that care. And if Congress doesn’t act by the end of September, funding for the program…
By Judy Fitzgerald September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and this is an especially important issue to discuss right now. In fact, talking about suicide out loud — regularly, repeatedly, and thoughtfully — is part of the solution. There are many ways that you can help prevent suicide, regardless of your age, race, status, or background, but first, let’s…
By Kirk Wilson We have heard much recently about Medicare for All. Why? Here are some reasons: Reason No. 1. Insuring all people who are currently uninsured can only be a good thing. Obamacare, in its current set-up, falls woefully short of doing so. Reason No. 2. No one involved in either paying insurance premiums, or the co-pays…
By Dr. William Elsea and Jack Bernard “In public health, you can impact more than one person at a time. The whole society is your patient.”- Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC We believe that Georgia’s county public health departments accomplish much more than most taxpayers realize. The lack of appreciation is not…
By Dr. Linda Walden As the current U.S. measles outbreak nears 1,000 cases, it seems impossible to deny the power of vaccines in preventing disease. All it took to create America’s biggest measles spike in 25 years was a handful of communities where a high percentage of parents decided not to have children vaccinated. Yet…