Bills on vaping, lead poisoning, school recess, and post-pregnancy Medicaid coverage all hung in the balance Monday as the Georgia General Assembly convened for its final day. As usual, dozens of health care bills were filed and debated in the 2022 legislative session. But the highest-profile proposal again took the spotlight early Monday afternoon, when…
By Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine The state Senate unanimously approved landmark legislation Wednesday that aims to improve services for Georgians who have mental health and addiction problems. The Senate version of House Bill 1013 closely mirrored major provisions originally contained in the legislation, sponsored by House Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), who took an…
By Andy Miller and Jenny Gold Wylie James Prescott, 3, had to wait more than a year after his autism diagnosis to begin behavioral therapy, even though research shows early treatment of autism can be crucial for children’s long-term development. His mother, Brandie Kurtz, said his therapy wasn’t approved through Georgia’s Medicaid program until recently,…
A Senate committee Monday unanimously approved a rewrite of key provisions in the House’s mental health bill championed by powerful Georgia House Speaker David Ralston. The revised version of the legislation, passed by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, backs off the House’s stronger language on determining “medical necessity’’ of treatment, and on involuntary…
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 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…
“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…
By Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine The CEO of an insurance industry trade group said Wednesday that insurer members are not opposed to the medical spending requirements for Medicaid managed care plans contained in a mental health parity bill. Among its provisions, the high-profile House Bill 1013 would set up a minimum level of medical…
By Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine Georgia lawmakers will consider a bill that could force the state’s Medicaid managed-care insurers to repay millions of dollars if their spending on medical care doesn’t reach a certain threshold. The bipartisan bill, introduced Jan. 26 by the powerful Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican, is focused on improving the…
State officials have dropped their plan for limiting the hours of support allowed for more than 180 Georgians with severe medical or behavioral health needs. The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) had proposed the limits under a “waiver” proposal submitted to the federal government. The goal was to use those remaining funds to serve…