Hospitals initially opposed the tax, but decided to support it after Governor Perdue threatened to cut Medicaid reimbursement rates by more than 10% and eliminate the sales tax exemption for non-profit hospitals instead. The nearly $170 million raised by the tax will likely help fill the gaping hole in the state’s Medicaid budget.
A unanimous Georgia Supreme Court on Monday struck down limits on jury awards in medical malpractice cases, the cornerstone of the state’s sweeping 2005 tort reform law.
Young: “I mean, I think it’ll affect us a lot. In 2009, we did $300 million dollars of free care at our cost by people that were poor and did not have insurance. Under the new plan, we should get reimbursed for $200 million of that $300 million. The great support we get from our two counties could be reduced, so that would help our Fulton and DeKalb County taxpayers.”
Health Reform Bill Passes House From the New York Times: House Democrats approved a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s health system on Sunday, voting over unanimous Republican opposition to provide medical coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans after […]
House Energy & Commerce Committee Releases Benefits of Health Reform
The House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce released a district-by-district report on the benefits of passing federal health reform.
While raising the tobacco tax had the support of many legislators and, according to polls, a majority of Georgians, it lacked support from the Republican Party leadership in the House and Senate, which would have been critical for its passage.
As she began a punishing regimen of chemotherapy and radiation, Mrs. Vliet found a measure of comfort in her monthly appointments with her primary care physician, Dr. Saed J. Sahouri, who had been monitoring her health for nearly two years
A spokesman for the Georgia Hospital Association told the Atlanta Business Chronicle that such a steep cut in Medicaid and applying the sales tax to non-profit hospitals would compromise patient care and force some hospitals, including Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, to close.
That assessment is remarkable considering that the hospital then owed medical supply companies $40 million. It owed Emory and Morehouse medical schools $60 million. Broken X-ray machines could not be replaced, patient beds were breaking down, and some doctors refused to use the antiquated cardiac catheterization machine.
Mar 08 16:54 Lines Drawn in Tobacco Tax Fight Healthcare advocates rallied in front of the state capitol today in support of House Bill 39, which would increase the tobacco tax by $1 per pack of cigarettes: More than 100 […]
