This year, a COVID-19 pandemic policy that kept millions of people covered by Medicaid without interruption came to an end. Continuous enrollment protected adults and children from losing their healthcare coverage even if they were no longer eligible.
But now, many people are at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage, especially if they don’t know what to do. And advocates say some outreach efforts from state public health departments have not been effective in reaching vulnerable communities.
That’s why at a festival in downtown Byromville, Kristen Kiefer talked to people about Medicaid Unwinding, which is another term for the redetermination process which began April 1.
“Medicaid has started doing renewals again this year,” Kiefer said. “And we’re running into a lot of people that don’t know that the renewals have started again.”
Kiefer is with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), a non-government nonprofit trying to spread awareness about Medicaid Unwinding.
Normally, people receiving benefits through Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids have their eligibility checked annually. But states across the country started redeterminations again this year as part of a federal mandate.
April 1 marked the first time in three years that Georgia started checking people’s eligibility under Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids. Almost 3 million people in Georgia will go through redeterminations over the next year.
Byromville resident Melister Wiggins (left) shows Kristen Kiefer her Medicaid renewal notification posted on Georgia Gateway. People who aren’t automatically renewed have 45 days from the date of their scheduled renewal date to submit missing information about their eligibility to the state in order to keep their benefits. (Sofi Gratas/GPB News)
That’s all news to Rosa Caldwell in Byromville, who said she knows several people on Medicaid.
“I know my husband, I need to do his. He’s 69; he needs to renew his,” Caldwell told Kiefer. “And I was looking for my sister-in-law and my brother — he just turned 68 — they both get Medicaid.”
Kiefer said so far, she’s encountered a lot of confusion about Medicaid Unwinding. So everyone who comes up to Kiefer at events like this gets a pamphlet with important dates and information, and she encourages them to tell their friends and family.
“We don’t want anybody to miss their date because they didn’t realize that it was coming,” Kiefer said.
State officials are relying on groups like ACS CAN to get the word out and report back with feedback on outreach efforts. Like official state ads on Facebook that tell people to “stay covered.” The ads are cute. There’s a mascot, a peach with googly eyes named George A. Peach. It’s part of the state’s marketing strategy.
But when Kiefer monitors the thousands of comments on these ads, she gets concerned. Some comments point to people not understanding whether the redetermination process applies to them or not. Other comments lead Kiefer to believe that people think redeterminations are a scam.
There are hardly any comments from public health officials to clear things up.
“The kind of lack of public information or confusion around this issue leads to well-meaning people kind of misinforming them in reply to their comment seeking help,” Kiefer said. “And it’s just been kind of a challenge.”
Heather Howard, health care policy expert from Princeton University, says confusion about Medicaid Unwinding is “exactly what we predicted.”
“One thing we’ve learned is that you have to make it really simple; people do not understand,” Howard said about messaging.
That’s because, for a long time, people haven’t had to think about their Medicaid coverage and how to make sure they don’t lose it.
Different outcomes for different groups
So how is Georgia going about all of this?
People going through Medicaid redeterminations are put in two different buckets, said the state’s executive director for Medical Assistance Plans, Lynnette Rhodes, during a meeting of the Care Management Committee in May.
“Bucket A are those individuals who are auto-renewed,” Rhodes said. “The member doesn’t have to do or take any action.”
Bucket A people will stay on Medicaid until renewals next year.
“Bucket B are those individuals who cannot be auto-renewed,” Rhodes said.
People in Bucket B have missing information about their eligibility that the state needs. These are the people who might accidentally lose coverage.
According to data from the Georgia Department of Community Health, 12,526 people received renewal notices in May.
By the end of the month, 1,581 of those people had their Medicaid coverage terminated due to procedural reasons, meaning they didn’t respond to notices or turn in missing information.
Georgia’s unwinding plan makes it so that anyone terminated from Medicaid for procedural reasons has 90 days to prove they are still eligible.
State officials plan that in June, 227,000 people will go through redeterminations.
Unclear communication
The only way for people to know which bucket they’re in and what to do to keep Medicaid coverage is to check the same online portal the state uses for most social services, called Georgia Gateway. That’s where people’s renewal dates and notices are posted.
The unwinding ads on Facebook don’t make that clear. Fliers from the state aren’t clear enough either, said the director at First Choice Primary Care, Katherine McLeod.
“I mean, this doesn’t say, ‘Get help,’ right?” McLeod said. “This just says, ‘Hey, something’s happening.’”
Volunteers at a stakeholder meeting in Macon pick up fliers from Georgia’s “Stay Covered” website, run by the Georgia Department of Human Services and the Georgia Department of Community Health. (Sofi Gratas/GPB News)
The fliers come from Georgia’s “Stay Covered” website, the online hub for the state’s information on Medicaid Unwinding. There are materials posted in a variety of languages and a coloring sheet for kids featuring the George A. Peach character.
The state wants its fliers posted in healthcare settings like First Choice in Macon. About a quarter of patients at First Choice are insured through Medicaid, McLeod said.
But Felicia Cornelius, outreach director at First Choice, said the information on the flier isn’t patient-friendly enough.
“If you have a normal person that is reading this, I don’t think it really still helps them to be able to figure out, ‘OK, what do I need to do?’” Cornelius said. “I think it’s more partner than consumer.”
But what if partners still have questions?
Cornelius said the handful of patients she’s helped renew their Medicaid coverage are homeless. Weeks ago, she asked state officials about a plan for how her homeless patients can receive notices about renewals. Cornelius said she hasn’t seen a plan yet.
Meanwhile, it’s possible many of the over 1,500 people who lost their Medicaid coverage last month did so without knowing why.
Looking forward, policy analysts warn that coverage losses overall are more likely in states without Medicaid expansion, like Georgia, because even slight changes in income can make people ineligible for coverage. Unlike expansion states which offer Medicaid up to 138% of the federal poverty level, Medicaid in Georgia is capped at 100% of the FPL for most people.
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This article comes to Now Habersham through a partnership with GPB News
A Senate study committee is looking at ways to “reform” Georgia’s certificate of need law, which limits the number of health care services provided in any given area. The House has its own study committee, too. (Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — State lawmakers are settling in for a long look at how Georgia regulates health care services and whether drastic changes should be pursued again next year.
The fraught issue was at the center of late-session jockeying earlier this year between the House and Senate, which passed a bill with a 42-13 vote that would have exempted most rural hospitals from the certificate-of-need process. That bill stalled in the House.
Now, both chambers have created study committees that will meet during the legislative off-season, with the Senate’s “reform” panel getting a jumpstart Tuesday.
“I think that probably all of us walk into the room with certain preconceived notions on what should happen with CON,” said Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Cumming Republican who sponsored the Senate bill and who is chairing the study committee. “I think we’re all going to walk out after the (last) meeting with different ideas than we walked in the room with, and that would, for me, define success.”
Georgia is one of 34 states with some form of certificate-of-need laws, which control the number of health care services in a geographic area by requiring health care providers that want to open or expand to show there is a demand for more services.
Supporters say the decades-old law protects hospitals from new centers that could peel off profitable services and hurt existing safety net facilities. But critics note rural hospitals have closed anyway and argue the restrictive program is blocking competition and keeping new services from coming to some communities.
The Senate bill from the 2023 legislative session remains alive for next year. Whether it’s that bill or another, the issue seems poised to be a hot one again for next year.
“It’s an antiquated law. There are going to be some changes,” Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, a Dawson Democrat who represents a sprawling 13-county district in southwest Georgia, told reporters Tuesday. “So how do I help to make the best changes for my district? … How are we going to make sure that there’s access and quality for everybody?”
An analysis from the Senate Research Office released this month reviewed the studies available on the impact of tossing out these strict hospital regulations and found a murky view of the state-by-state effects on the health care industry.
There are those who would like to see Georgia follow the path of other states, like South Carolina, where the program was repealed for everything but long-term care facilities. In North Carolina, lawmakers approved a compromise this year that included both significant changes to its program and Medicaid expansion.
Sen. Ben Watson, a Savannah Republican on the study committee and a physician, acknowledged the “mixed results” of the studies. Watson sponsored a bill this session that would have repealed Georgia’s certificate-of-need law, except for long-term care facilities.
“If it’s not showing unequivocal results for keeping more regulation, then it’s hard to justify a monopoly and being anti-competitive,” Watson said.
One researcher, Thomas Stratmann with George Mason University, told lawmakers Tuesday that Georgia’s regulations apply to 22 medical services, causing Georgia to rank seventh for states with the highest number of certificate-of-need laws.
Stratmann said his research shows that Georgia could see seven additional hospitals and that the current number of ambulatory surgery centers could grow from about 360 to 500 without today’s existing limits.
“The takeaway from these findings is CON laws are bad for Georgia residents because they reduce the quality of medical care, they reduce access, and they reduce opportunities to obtain medical services such as MRI scans or CT scans,” said Stratmann, who Zoomed in to give his presentation. “The research shows that Georgians will be better off if the Peach State will join the states that do not have CON laws.”
Hospitals have long resisted changes to the program and have fought off major overhauls over the years. Changes were last made in 2019, including a provision that a rival provider has to be within 35 miles of a proposed project to challenge it.
Anna Adams, executive vice president of external affairs with the Georgia Hospital Association, urged lawmakers to consider changes to these health care regulations in a broader context.
“I would also encourage you to think of CON not as the barrier to entry but the gateway so that we can protect quality, we can protect patients and make sure that we have access to all services, not just a proliferation of one service,” Adams said.
“Because I don’t think that anybody is interested in seeing us have 500 surgery centers in this state but no access to emergency services.”
Dolezal said his committee will hit the road for the next two meetings in Columbus and Augusta, visiting communities that have been “impacted by CON.” The last meeting is planned for Atlanta this fall.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Jon Burns recently named the members of that chamber’s study committee, which will be chaired by Swainsboro Republican Rep. Butch Parrish. The lone Democrat on the House panel is Minority Leader James Beverly of Macon.
Hosea “James” Jones, age 90, of Cornelia, Georgia, went to his heavenly home on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after a courageous long-fought battle with cancer. As he is now being cared for by the greatest physician of all, his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, his family, and friends greatly rejoice.
Born in Anderson, SC, on May 29, 1933, he was the son of Charles William Herbert Jones and Mary Magdline May Jones. When he and his twin brother turned seven years of age, his family relocated to Turnerville, Georgia. During their youth, as the brothers roamed and played in the woods, creeks, and pastures near their home, the community became very acquainted with the Jones twins. Instrumental in the twins’ upbringing were special aunts, Ruby May, Belle Gudger, and great-aunt Estelle Underwood Nelson.
After graduation from Clarkesville High School in 1950, he began his employment as a machine operator with Clarkesville Mill. In 1953 he enlisted with the U.S. Army and completed two years of active duty in Korea with the 1st Calvary Division achieving the rank of Specialist-3.
After returning home from Korea in 1955, he resumed his employment with Clarkesville Mill. Additionally, he continued service to his country in the U.S. Army Reserves with an honorable discharge as a Specilist-4 in 1961. Out of a desire to be a better employee and provider for his family, he made the decision to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Piedmont College. He was a proud graduate of Piedmont in 1966. As he continued his career at Clarkesville Mill, he proved to be a stellar employee with a strong work ethic. His final role for the mill was that of Industrial Engineer, retiring after 45 years of loyal service.
From an early age, he and his brother enjoyed spending time at various roller-skating rinks in the community. While visiting a skating rink in Cleveland, Georgia, he met the love of his life, Doris Autry. This romance culminated with 66 years of marriage. Blessings of this marriage included two daughters, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. In the early years of their marriage, skating became a favorite family activity. Enjoyment of skating eventually led him and his wife to open and operate Melody Skateland to allow others in the community to experience the fun of roller skating. While skating was a great pleasure to him an even greater pleasure came from being daddy, granddaddy, and great granddaddy.
Accepting Jesus Christ was the beginning of the most important aspect of his life. He faithfully served at two churches in the community, Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church in Demorest and Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Turnerville. His roles of service included Sunday School Teacher, song leader, choir member, treasurer, and deacon. His greatest passion was to encourage individuals to ask, seek and knock (Matthew 7:7-8).
James was preceded in death by his parents, Herbert and Maggie Jones; his twin brother, Herbert “Junior” Hanes Jones; and his infant brother, Z.V. Jones.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Doris; his daughters and sons-in-law of Turnerville, Carol Ann and Mike Means; Cheryl and Jimmy Kowalsky; and grandchildren, Jeremy (Tracey) Means of Turnerville; Jai (Brittany) Means of Flowery Branch; Ashley Kowalsky of Turnerville. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren: Grayson, Ansley, Miken, Reagan, Maeleigh Kate, and Jaiden. Additionally, he is survived by his sister-in-law, Joyce Nix Jones; nieces/nephews, Gail Palmer, Mark Jones, Sam Jones, Michael Jones, and Melissa Madolid and several great nieces and nephews; special family friends, Kela Shirley and Catherine Hobson.
Funeral Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, June 17, 2023, at the Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, with Rev. Billy Burrell and Rev. Tim Holcomb officiating. Interment will follow in Yonah Memorial Gardens with military honors provided by the United States Army.
The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Friday, June 16, 2023, at the funeral home.
Flowers are accepted, or donations may be made to Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Turnerville, Georgia, or to a favorite charity in remembrance of Hosea “James” Jones.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel, at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
(States Newsroom) — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court in Miami on Tuesday to 37 felony counts of taking highly classified national security documents from his time in office and obstructing efforts to recover the documents, according to media reports from inside the courtroom.
Trump, the first former president charged with a federal crime, remains the leading contender for the Republican nomination for president in 2024 even as he faces at least two prosecutions. No trial date has been set in the Florida case.
A crowd of supporters gathered outside of the Miami courthouse Tuesday, holding Trump campaign flags and signs of support. Trump waved from his vehicle as he left the courthouse. Secret Service agents subdued a protestor dressed as a prisoner who tried to accost the vehicle.
Trump stopped at a café to meet with supporters after the court hearing.
He was scheduled to hold a campaign event at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club Tuesday evening.
U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, indicated he would join the event, saying on Twitter he would be “standing right next to President Trump tonight in total support.”
Tuberville missed a 50-49 procedural vote in the Senate Tuesday to advance the nomination of Jared Bernstein as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Tuberville included in his tweet a request for supporters’ email addresses.
Trump indictment
Trump continued his public schedule after the federal indictment was unsealed on Friday, appearing in Georgia and North Carolina over the weekend.
According to the indictment, Trump schemed with an aide to keep possession of top secret and other sensitive national security documents from his presidency and concealed those documents — even from his own lawyers — to avoid a court order to return them.
A federal grand jury did not charge Trump for his initial taking of the documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate and private club. Instead, the charges stem from Trump retaining 102 documents with classification markings, which federal authorities recovered only through an FBI raid.
After months of the National Archives and Records and Administration asking for Trump’s White House records and a federal grand jury subpoena, Trump relinquished a total of 235 documents, according to the indictment.
Trump directed personal aide Waltine Nauta to move dozens of boxes of documents to avoid detection from his own lawyers, prosecutors said. He then falsely told the grand jury he’d turned in everything that had been asked of him, according to the indictment.
Later he showed at least three people classified documents, which he described as classified, and said he could get in trouble for disclosing, according to the indictment.
Trump has also been charged with — and pleaded not guilty to — state charges in New York alleging that he falsified business records by using campaign funds to pay hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. A state judge set a March 2024 trial date for that case.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon is overseeing the federal case in the Southern District of Florida, though U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman presided over Tuesday’s arraignment.
Trump appointed Cannon to the federal bench, and she has previously ruled in Trump’s favor when he requested an independent special master to review the documents FBI agents took from his South Florida estate in an August 2022 search.
Cannon faced criticism for that ruling, which was later overturned by the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Congressional reaction
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, declined to comment on Trump’s case when asked by reporters Tuesday, saying he was staying out of the presidential race.
“I’m just simply not going to comment on the candidates,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of them, and I’m just simply going to stay out of it.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York also declined to address the charges directly, saying that the case should proceed without interference from politicians.
“In terms of the Trump indictment, no one’s above the law, including Donald Trump,” he said. “There ought to be no political or ideological interference as the case moves forward.”
Other Democrats made similar remarks that Trump should be treated like a common defendant and was entitled to his day in court.
Colorado U.S. Rep. Ken Buck was among the few congressional Republicans to say a conviction should disqualify Trump from the White House.
In an appearance on CNN, Buck noted that in 2016, Trump called his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, unfit for office because of her alleged mishandling of classified information as secretary of state.
“His words have set the standard that America will look at to see if he is fit for president,” Buck told CNN’s Dana Bash. “He’s innocent until proven guilty. After the trial, if he is convicted of these charges … I certainly won’t support a convicted felon for the White House.”
GOP rallies to Trump’s defense
On his way to the courthouse Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, that the prosecution was a “WITCH HUNT,” a term he has used for the several investigations into his potential misconduct.
“ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY,” he wrote. “WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!”
Many congressional Republicans have rallied to Trump’s defense, echoing his witch hunt claim that President Joe Biden, a Democrat who defeated Trump in the 2020 election and is running for re-election in 2024, was targeting a political opponent.
“Let’s be clear about what’s happening: Joe Biden is weaponizing his Department of Justice against his own political rival,” House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, tweeted.
Others have said the U.S. Justice Department was holding Trump to a higher standard than Biden, who self-reported improperly storing classified documents from his time as vice president and U.S. senator from Delaware.
“We have a sitting president who possessed classified documents dating back decades to his time as vice president and as a senator. Yet he is now weaponizing the federal government to go after his leading political opponent,” U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, said. “Where is the equal justice under the law?
But Biden — and Mike Pence, the vice president under Trump — returned classified documents once they were discovered. The federal indictment, led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, alleges Trump intentionally held onto documents he knew were classified.
States Newsroom Washington senior reporter Ashley Murray contributed to this report.
One Baldwin Water Department customer was hit with a $32,842.80 bill after an “on and off” leak that resulted in the loss of over 1.5 million gallons of water.
Baldwin Chief Administrative Officer Emily Woodmaster informed the city council of the issue during their June 12 meeting. She asked the council to approve a leak adjustment to lower the homeowner’s bill.
According to Woodmaster, the leak had been a recurring problem since the ‘Big Freeze’ last December.
“This is the largest water loss amount we have ever seen on a residential account,” said Woodmaster.
From big freeze to big leak
The sub-freezing weather moved in on December 23, 2022, and did not lift until after the Christmas holiday, resulting in thousands of major leaks in homes and businesses across the area.
When the leak at the residence in question first occurred, no one was living there full-time. The customer lives outside the area.
Baldwin reads water meters a month behind. The customer didn’t know she had a leak until she went to pay her water bill online in February. At that time, her bill was over $2,000.
The customer fixed the leak and informed the city that it had been fixed. The city confirmed there were no leaks.
At that time, Woodmaster said she told the customer she wanted to wait another month to ensure her water usage was back to normal before moving forward with a leak adjustment. However, during that waiting period, another leak occurred, resulting in a $10,000 bill.
Since the customer did not live there full-time, Woodmaster said she encouraged the customer to turn off her meter until she could fix the leak. In April, the customer hired a company to find the leak on her property. Workers discovered the leak under the driveway. There was so much water it caused the driveway to collapse.
Change of policy
Now, after six months, the leak is fixed, and the customer’s water is off, said Woodmaster, but there are still tens of thousands of dollars in water bills left to be dealt with.
The council must decide how to handle those charges.
The adjustment for a normal leak would result in a $25,000 bill. However, Woodmaster said the city should have cut off the water on March 7 when meter readers first discovered a second high-usage leak.
Under the previous policy, Baldwin required water customers to report leaks to the city and ask to have their water turned off. Meter readers were not allowed to turn off the water, even when they detected major leaks. Now they can because Baldwin adjusted its policy as a result of this unusual – and costly – situation.
Billing options
Woodmaster gave the council several options to consider regarding a leak adjustment.
The first option is for the council to write off the entire amount on the account.
The second option is to charge the customer their normal rate for the first 4,000 gallons for each month and charge the remaining gallons at the wholesale rate of $2.70 per thousand gallons. This option would result in a bill of $4,233.63, not including any payments received to date.
The third option is to deduct the 782,000 gallons that were lost in the second leak when the city failed to turn off the water. The Council would charge the remaining 725,152 gallons at the industrial rate, resulting in a $1,957.91 bill.
The customer will have to wait a while longer to find out how much she’ll have to pay. Councilmembers tabled the issue until their end-of-the-month meeting on Monday, June 26.
Mildred "Granny Ruth" Lancaster with Cleveland Mayor Josh Turner. (WRWH.com)
During their meeting Monday night, the Cleveland City Council recognized a momentous occasion in the life of one local resident.
The council approved and presented to Mildred Ruth Skelton Lancaster a proclamation in recognition of her 101st birthday.
Granny Ruth, as she is known, celebrated her birthday on June 8, and the city council wanted to recognize her special occasion.
Cleveland Mayor Josh Turner read from the proclamation. It said Lancaster has lived at 496 West Kytle Street in Cleveland since 1954 and, until recently, cut the grass at her home with a John Deere riding mower.
Pictured with Mildred ‘Granny Ruth’ Lancaster are, from left, Ronnie Potts, Cleveland City Councilmember CJ McDonald, Jeremy McClure, Granny Ruth Cleveland Mayor Josh Turner, Councilmember Rebecca Yardley, Nan Bowen, Debbie Craven, Gary Potts, and Kelby Craven. (WRWH.com)
The proclamation designated June 8, 2023, as Ms. Granny Ruth Lancaster Day and called on all citizens to join in congratulating her on her birthday.
Habersham County parents and caregivers can have their child’s car seat checked this week to make sure it’s properly fitted and installed.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a free car seat check-up at the Habersham County Fairgrounds from noon until 4 p.m. on Friday, June 16.
Deputies with Habersham’s HEAT (Highway Enforcement and Aggressive Traffic) and STEP (Specialized Traffic Enforcement Patrol) units will be on hand to assist families. It’s part of their ongoing campaign with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to promote occupant safety.
“Our hope is that the members of the community who use car seats will stop by to have their current child safety seats checked for proper installation and fit. If officers find a seat that is outdated, damaged, or otherwise not properly functional, that seat will be replaced by deputies. This is at no charge to residents of Habersham County,” says STEP Deputy Chase Trammell.
This event is open to all county residents. Those who attend should bring their children with them to ensure the seat and harness are properly fitted.
The Habersham County Fairgrounds is located at 4235 Toccoa Highway in Clarkesville.
Randall William “Randy” Kahn, age 66, of Cleveland, passed away on Sunday, June 11, 2023.
Born on October 12, 1956, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he was the son of the late Joseph S. Kahn and Bernice Eva Eads Kahn. Mr. Kahn worked as a freight broker. Randy loved his family, and in his spare time, he enjoyed camping and watching the Georgia Bulldogs and Braves. He is described by his family as having a great sense of humor. He was of the Baptist faith.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Larry Kahn, and his nephew, Stephen Wolfe, Jr.
Survivors include his loving wife of 25 years, Peggy Jean Massey Kahn of Cleveland; sons Scott Kahn and Erik Kahn, both of Atlanta; step-son, Shane Seabolt of Cleveland; step-daughter and spouse, Heather Minutello (Tony) of Cleveland; one grandchild and two step-grandchildren; sisters and brother-in-law, Laura Pruett (Mike) of Sugar Hill and Valerie Kahn of Loganville; sister-in-law, Lawana Kahn of Hartwell; and several nieces and nephews.
Graveside services are scheduled for 11:00 am on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at Yonah Memorial Gardens, with Rev. Bobby Griffin officiating.
William Franklin “Bill” Worley, age 78, of Gainesville, entered rest Monday, June 12, 2023, at his residence.
He was known by Bill to everyone, & was born and raised in Gainesville by his parents the late William Marion & Rosa Gowan Worley. He owned & operated Bill Worley Plumbing for 47 years & served his country in the United States Air Force. Bill loved his Georgia Bulldogs. He was a member of the Gainesville First Church of the Nazarene & was preceded in death by his sisters, Virginia Payne, Peggy Grizzle, Dorothy Begley & Janice Moore; brother, Butch Worley.
Left to cherish memories, daughter, Hope Turner; grandchildren, Halie Payne, Heath Payne, Holden Turner; great-grandchildren, Hayden Payne, Haven Paramo & Lucian Payne; brother, Marion Worley; sister, Patricia Martin; a true friend to Bill, Larry Hedden; a number of nieces, nephews & other relatives also survive.
Funeral services honoring Bill will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, June 15, 2023, at the Ward’s Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Ryan Watt officiating. He will be laid at Alta Vista Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
In honor of his love for the Georgia Bulldogs, please wear red & black to his services on Thursday. In lieu of flowers, you may make donations to the Gainesville First Church of the Nazarene.
You may sign the online guestbook or leave a condolence at www.wardsfh.com.
Ward’s Funeral Home of Gainesville is honored to serve the family of William Franklin “Bill” Worley.
Jerry Curtis Ramey, age 73, of Toccoa, Georgia, passed away on Monday, June 12, 2023.
Born in Demorest, Georgia, on February 17, 1950, he was a son of the late Jerry Quilley & Minni Evelyn Holcomb Ramey. Jerry was a self-employed truck driver, loved history, enjoyed reading, and traveling abroad.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Ronald “Ronnie” Ramey & Danny Ramey.
Survivors include his children, Matthew “Matt” & Renae Ramey, Robert “Bobby” & Chrysti Ramey, Jerry Curtis Ramey, Tonya Ramey, David & Rhonda Coley; sister & brother-in-law, Judy & Steve Medlin; brothers & sisters-in-law, Larry & Diane Ramey, Greg & Lynn Ramey; 13 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives, & friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, June 15, 2023, at Hillside Memorial Chapel with Rev. Tony Goss officiating. Interment will follow in the Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 12:00 p.m. until the service hour on Thursday, June 15, 2023.
St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Franklin County was in the No. 1 spot as the hospital with the most financial need out of 55 rural hospitals in line for donations in 2022. (Facebook)
(GA Recorder) — Jonathon Green says a tax credit program intended to help Georgia’s struggling rural health care system delivered $500,000 in donations last year to his Taylor Regional Hospital, money he used to upgrade imaging machines and other technology.
Green, CEO of Taylor Health Group, says he could put more donated dollars to good use, but it is great that the tax credit “provides a dollar-for-dollar impact” that benefits both hospitals and taxpayers.
“You hear a lot of times people want to control what their tax dollars do. This is one of very few things that you can specifically earmark what your state tax dollars does. You know where it goes. You see the impact of it. It’s specific. I think people need to understand that,” Green said.
It has been six years since state lawmakers passed the Rural Health Tax Credit, and while an overwhelming number of hospitals participating in the program report seeing a significant benefit from taxpayer donations of up to $4 million, a recent report by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts’ found that many of the neediest hospitals are still getting the smallest bulk of those dollars.
Each year the Georgia Department of Community Health determines which rural hospitals qualify for the program, ranking them based on need.
In the 2022 ranking, St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Franklin County was in the No. 1 spot as the hospital with the most financial need out of 55 rural hospitals in line for donations. Navicent Health in Baldwin County, Dorminy Medical Center in Ben Hill County, Irwin County Hospital and Candler County Hospital filled out the other top five slots.
“In 2022, 22 of the 55 eligible hospitals received more than $1 million in contributions, and 22 received less than $500,000. Most contributions were directed by donors and not necessarily to the neediest hospitals as designated by the DCH (Georgia Department of Community Health). Five of the 10 neediest received less than the average collections per hospital of $1,067,862,” according to the auditor’s report.
Taylor Regional Hospital ranks fifteenth on the list, with about $500,000 in tax credit donations last year.
“We boosted our diagnostics significantly, we’ve added new radiology equipment. We’ve added MRIs and we’re able to keep up leases on those types of equipment to give us the ability to continue to provide those services,” Green said. “So I would just say an increase, from a technology standpoint, is what’s had the most impact from the tax credit.”
The program’s reach expands beyond rural communities, Green said, also providing a benefit to those living in Georgia’s more populated communities.
“I know living in the greater Atlanta area, that rural hospitals sometimes are not on their minds. But if rural hospitals start to close, then you’re going to see an impact on the urban and metro hospitals,” Green said.
“That is the impact and that’s what people need to think about. If these hospitals close, where are these people that would typically go to this hospital gonna go, they’re going to go there,” Green continued. “Then you’re gonna get really long wait times in the ERs, you’re gonna have long wait times to see physicians.”
Rural Hospital Tax Credit embraced slowly
It took a while for the program to gain traction after state lawmakers approved it in 2017, but changes were made to the program over the years that made it more appealing to taxpayers. Most of that interest hinges on a dollar-for-dollar tax break for individuals and companies.
In the past two years, the number of taxpayer credits hospitals claimed nearly reached the annual $60 million cap. Breaking down to $42.9 million in tax year 2021, of which individual taxpayers accounted for nearly 90% of that.
And in 2022, taxpayers donated a total of $58.7 million to eligible rural hospitals with contributions ranging from $67,000 to $3.99 million.
Most of the donations are managed by the Georgia HEART Hospital Program, a nonprofit that markets the credit to taxpayers and processes pre-approval requests and contributions.
Georgia HEART charges a 3% administrative fee for administration, which is about $1.78 million in fee revenue, that comes out of donor funds. That is a cut from the 6% fee originally planned.
In the firm’s 2022 annual report on the program, hospitals used the funds to increase the quality of patient care, make facility renovations and invest in better equipment such as updated MRI and mammography machines.
The third-party firm fell under scrutiny during the legislative process when lawmakers first debated the tax credit program, but now most rural hospitals find it much easier to work with Georgia HEART. But the state audit still raises questions about the effectiveness of the program and calls for increased efforts to ensure hospitals are reporting accurate information about how much money is being raised and how the funding is used.
HomeTown Health is a network of rural hospitals that advocates for accessible health care in communities facing the constant threat of a hospital closure, and works closely with hospitals that participate in the program.
HomeTown Health CEO Jimmy Lewis says, “I’ll have to say that the audit is extraordinarily capable, definitive, and meaningful. For hospitals, this is a great program. But The fact that the equity of the distribution may be of questionable equity, that deserves some attention.” (photo courtesy of HomeTown Health, LLC)
Jimmy Lewis, CEO of HomeTown Health, said the tax credit program is a vital resource for rural hospitals, and believes the audit “has all the makings of a good study” as it details hospitals’ financial needs within the marketplace, as well as what improvements lawmakers should consider making to the program in the future.
The workforce shortage is so great, and raising money requires such specific skills, most hospital CEOs opt to use Georgia HEART despite the cost to participate.
“If I’m a rural hospital CEO and I’m struggling on a daily basis to make payroll and the opportunity comes along for me to pick up one or two million dollars, if I already don’t have sufficient skill sets to get cash coming in, but I have an opportunity with Georgia HEART to pay 3% and begin collecting, I’m foolish not to use the Georgia HEART program.”
It also is important to consider the stress that healthcare workers have been through since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pandemic brought with it very large sums of money,” Lewis said. “And all of the rural hospitals got all of this money at or about the same time that they had to decide how to spend it so that it could be accounted for at the federal level.”
Case in point, Colquitt Regional Medical Center, which ranked as Georgia’s 42nd neediest rural hospital, received nearly $4 million from the tax credit program – the highest amount hospitals are allowed to get.
Meanwhile, Navicent Health in Baldwin County received around $600,000, and it was ranked number two in need.
“The tax credit has been a lifeline for many rural hospitals across the state that face financial pressures that larger health systems were not subject to, even prior to the pandemic, said Chris Denson, director of policy and research for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a conservative public policy think tank based in Atlanta.
“So, a combination of the rural hospitals tax credit, before the pandemic has helped ensure their survival,” Denson said. “But of course, these hospitals also received federal funds, pandemic relief as well, that was a direct cash flow to help keep them afloat.”
At least nine hospitals have closed in rural Georgia over the last decade, with Patterson Hospital at the Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Randolph County becoming the latest to close in 2020. And although the pandemic stimulus checks have helped stave off even more rural hospital closures, many still remain in financial limbo.
“The hospitals that we are dealing with now have worked through their cash situation with the pandemic money,” Lewis said. “And now we’re coming to a summer where cash is desperately short in many cases.”
The audit’s findings raise further questions within Georgia’s rural healthcare system about how eligibility is determined when filtering for the most destitute hospitals.
“It’s important to understand that this tax credit is an effort by the state to strengthen needy rural hospitals,” Lewis said. “And as a result of that, there has to be good auditory function in order to see where the money comes from and how it is spent.”
While the dollars pumped into hospitals through the tax credit have been great for hospitals, the audit highlights some cracks within the program that need to be filled, Lewis said.
“This program is a great program. We just have to figure out how to refine this program and make it more effective so that these hospitals have certainty to do the things they need to do,” Lewis said. “I can’t say that we’ve got a single hospital that’s going to close today. But we have a number of rural hospitals that are cash desperate as we go into the fall.”
Danny Kanso, senior fiscal analyst at the left-leaning Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, agrees with state auditors that lawmakers should work to improve the program. And, he said, the state’s health care system would be better served if Georgia lawmakers expanded access to Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
“This audit demonstrates that vast inequities exist in the benefits between the 55 hospitals eligible for the (Rural Hospital Tax Credit), with benefits received in FY 2022 ranging from as little as $118,000 to just two hospitals that received over $3 million in annual contributions,” Kanso said in a statement.
“For most eligible hospitals, the benefits of this program are simply too small to approach the huge level of need experienced in Georgia’s rural communities,” Kanso said. “Rather than scratching at the surface of addressing massive levels of uncompensated care, the state would be better served by utilizing available resources to extend health coverage directly to Georgians through Medicaid expansion.”
“By redirecting these funds to cover the costs of full Medicaid expansion, every dollar the state expends on its rural hospital tax credit could be multiplied by a factor of nine while also giving more than half a million Georgians the many benefits of health coverage.”
Still some kinks to work out
Though many hospitals report that the program helped their facility survive significant cuts, there are still some kinks to work out, according to executive vice president of external communications for the Georgia Hospital Association, Anna Adams.
“I was just at a conference with one of our members who was talking about how vital the program is to her facility in particular,” Adams said. “And many of our rural hospitals, I think, are in the same boat with her in saying that any kind of development or growth or updating facility structure like that comes from the donations that they get through the rural hospital tax credit program.”
Lewis, who participates in listening tours with many CEOs of rural hospitals, said that there are some possible solutions that could lessen the program’s inequities.
One solution could be to narrow the eligibility to hospitals that serve a population of 30,000 or fewer instead of ones in communities of 50,000 people. Hospitals serving these slightly larger population centers need help, too, Lewis said. But many of those facilities are backed financially by larger hospitals when the focus should be on hospitals without that backing.
“The interesting thing is as we look at hospitals, there are a number of big hospitals that are owned by large hospitals or larger hospitals, and is that not some kind of contradiction… to have a lot of money and then say you need money,” Lewis said.
And, he said, the state agency administering the program can create a more level playing field when determining need by gathering more input from Georgia’s health care professionals.
“Hospitals have never been consulted as to how the algorithm works and how the methodology works,” Lewis said. “If you want to have a really good effective program for the distribution of money, that ought to be put together with an advisory group of rural hospitals who know how to define neediest.”
But even with lingering questions about funding equity, supporters say that the tax credit has had a positive impact on rural hospitals and provides a benefit to the communities that stand to lose access to the critical care they need.
Ben Saylor, vice president of operations for Georgia HEART, defended the program’s existing rules aimed at spreading the benefit across the state.
“The tax credit contributions are keeping hospital doors open,” Saylor said Monday. “This tax credit program is also helping to bridge the rural-urban divide by enabling Georgia taxpayers (both individuals and businesses) to address the essential need to improve healthcare in our small towns.”
“Each hospital that receives tax credit contributions is deemed a hospital in need per the definitions in the statute under which the program operates. Otherwise, it would not qualify to participate in the program,” Baylor said. “We believe the caps on what each hospital can raise and the individual tax credit limits at different points during the year create an opportunity for each rural hospital to achieve success in raising funds through this program.”
