ATLANTA (February 16, 2009) – Leading Georgia health-care reformer State Sen. Judson Hill (R – Marietta) introduced Senate Bill 92 as his latest initiative to improve our current state health care system and to make healthcare more accessible for all Georgians. SB 92 would transfer eligible state Medicaid and Peach Care patients’ medical coverage to a private health insurance provider with state health care funds still paying the premiums. The measure is intended to help Medicaid and Peachcare recipients obtain healthcare in the doctor’s office rather than be turned away due to low physician reimbursements pushing the recipients to the hospital emergency room for care. The measure also provides eligible recipients the opportunity to stay insured under the same plan once they move off of government assistance. Hill believes SB 92 is an essential measure to accomplish his mission of improving access to quality care and lowering health insurance costs for every Georgian.
“In tough economic times, the easy answer is to increase the taxpayer’s burden to raise extra funds before looking at fiscally responsible ways to change healthcare, to increase healthcare quality and decrease the costs to the state,” said Hill. “I am confident Senate Bill 92 will have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the healthcare industry in our state. It gives Medicaid and Peach Care better access to quality medical care and provides them the protection of continued private coverage once they leave the state plan. It is vital that once we get people insured, they have the ability to stay insured with quality, affordable healthcare coverage.”
When Medicaid and Peach Care eligible recipients move into the private sector, Hill believes that the long-term results will be extremely beneficial to both them and to the state. By working with private insurance companies, the legislation should allow for doctors to receive greater compensation for medical services as well as generate revenue increases for hospitals and medical facilities. Hill points out that having more people insured in the private sector will ultimately lower the healthcare cost burden for all Georgians.
Hill projects these new policies could potentially save the $80 million dollars a year, in which these savings could be used to help alleviate any future healthcare funding shortfalls such as the $110 million dollar projected shortfall Georgia is facing for later this year. Measures such as this are even more necessary with new federal dollars coming to the state because the short-term fix they may bring also causes an even greater long-term healthcare funding crisis.
SB 92 is just one of Hill’s many healthcare reform initiatives. In 2008 he authored and successfully passed the nation’s first patient-centered prevention-focused free market healthcare reform legislation making healthcare and insurance more affordable for Georgia’s working families. Several of his healthcare bills have been adopted by national associations as model legislation. Hill championed legislation in 2007 that led to the creation of www.GeorgiaHealthInfo.gov giving Georgians access to the latest healthcare quality, cost and health education information. Hill was also appointed by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle as chairman of the 2008 Senate Healthcare Transformation Study Committee, responsible for creating and perfecting policy to help make healthcare and health insurance more accessible and affordable for every Georgian.
Sen. Judson Hill serves as Chairman of Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee and the Republican Caucus Vice Chairman. He represents the 32nd Georgia Senate District which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached by phone at 404.656.0150 or by e-mail at judson.hill@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
February 16, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber,Director
Matt Colvin Communications Associate
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028