Georgia hospital association affordable care act

We seek to ensure and expand access to safe, quality, affordable healthcare for all Georgians through consumer empowerment, policy development and advocacy.

Our healthcare access advocacy focuses its efforts primarily on vulnerable Georgians whose healthcare needs are often neglected, such as low-income individuals, the uninsured and under-insured, rural residents, and those who do not speak English well. Through our consumer-centered mission, we educate Georgians on important healthcare issues and promote consumer-friendly policies at the various levels of government and business where such decisions are made.

Program Details

We have direct contact with consumers through educational presentations and the Georgia Watch consumer help line. By talking to consumers who call Georgia Watch and responding to emails sent through the website, we directly assist Georgians with their healthcare and medical expense questions. Not only does Georgia Watch help individuals when responding to these inquiries, but the organization also becomes educated about the real issues consumers face all over the state. We also create resources to educate consumers, lawmakers, and other stakeholders about developments in healthcare policy.

Whether undertaken by Georgia Watch independently, or in concert with partner organizations, advocating for consumer-friendly policies at various levels of government has always been critical to our healthcare access work. It is our contact with consumers, and the information we gain from them, that gives Georgia Watch a unique perspective that we use when doing policy and advocacy work.

• We approach policy development with an open mind that focuses on the consumer and not a particular ideology.
  • Participated in the PCORI project to explore care provided by advanced practice registered nurses, telehealth technology, or school-based clinics in rural areas.
  • In 2014, we contributed to a jointly authored report submitted to Governor Deal’s Rural Hospital Stabilization Committee on the positive impact that Medicaid expansion could have on Georgia’s struggling rural hospitals.
  • In 2015, we published a comprehensive policy report on the current status of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in Georgia.
  • In 2015, we published a report on nonprofit hospital community health needs assessments.
  • In 2015, we published a detailed paper on IRS regulations governing hospital community health needs assessments.

  Holding hospitals accountable has been part of Georgia Watch’s health access work since 2007. Given the state of public health and healthcare access in Georgia, coupled with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, this is a crucial time for consumer advocacy with federal and state agencies, as well as public and private stakeholders, like hospitals.

  • We educate healthcare consumers about hospital structures and the consumer protections that apply to nonprofit hospitals.
  • We hold nonprofit hospitals accountable for following new federal regulations concerning Community Health Needs Assessments and Financial Assistance Programs. Throughout 2014, we reviewed and analyzed 38 Community Health Needs assessments and published a policy paper on the findings.
  • We advocate for state legislation and agency rules that keep nonprofit hospitals accountable for maintaining their tax-exempt status.

  HEALTH ACCESS PROGRAM REPORTS AND PRIMERS:

  An up-to-date guide for uninsured individuals seeking low-cost healthcare.