A bill that would strengthen protections for children against lead poisoning passed a Senate health committee Wednesday. Hundreds more children in Georgia would have their homes investigated for lead under proposed rules in House Bill 1355, sponsored by Rep. Katie Dempsey (R-Rome). The legislation, passed by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, would lower…
By Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder House Speaker David Ralston’s sweeping mental health bill is picking up loud opposition in the Senate. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House earlier this month with just a few lawmakers voting against it. But this isn’t the first show of criticism of a bill Ralston has called his top priority for the year. Advocates cautioned…
The U.S. health care system has many great features. One thing that isn’t great is the cost of care. In a new GHN Commentary, retired health care executive Jack Bernard points out that compared with other developed countries, the United States is spending much more money on health care, yet in some cases is actually…
A westside Atlanta neighborhood contaminated with lead has been added to the EPA’s Superfund priority list, freeing up more federal funding for long-term cleanup. The English Avenue area is one of 12 sites across the nation that the Environmental Protection Agency added to its Superfund National Priorities List (NPL), the agency announced Thursday. More than…
A sweeping bill to repeal the state’s health care regulatory process failed to clear the House by a crucial legislative deadline Tuesday, meaning it is probably dead for the year. The regulatory system, known as certificate of need (CON), governs much of how the health care industry operates in Georgia. A medical provider must apply…
It wouldn’t be a Georgia General Assembly session without a fierce debate about the state’s health care regulatory apparatus. That system, known as certificate of need (CON), mostly governs how the health care industry functions in the state. It has been targeted annually by legislators proposing reforms to relax its rules. But these bills have…
The Georgia House unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would strip the prescription drug benefit function from Medicaid’s managed care companies. It’s the second House bill approved in as many days that targets financial practices of the three Medicaid insurers in Georgia. On Tuesday, the chamber passed mental health legislation (House Bill 1013) that would…
The Georgia House on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a wide-ranging mental health bill that includes stricter financial requirements on the state’s Medicaid managed care companies. House Bill 1013 now heads to the state Senate, where its path is less certain. House Speaker David Ralston made a rare appearance at the podium to address his chamber before…
By Michael McAuliff Democrats in the Senate are primed this month to make their first attempt at salvaging one of the most popular elements of President Joe Biden’s stalled Build Back Better plan — the proposal to cap insulin costs at $35 a month. It might not go well. That’s true even though the idea of…
“I think it’s the most important [topic] we will take up this year.” With that remark, Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, in a rare appearance at a legislative committee hearing, set out the stakes Wednesday for passage of the mental health parity bill that he has sponsored. “The No. 1 state for business in this…