DEDICATED TO THE HEALTH OF ALL CHILDREN                             Winner of Outstanding Chapter Award 1965, 1996, 2000, 2004 & 2009

Legislative Affairs

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This Week at the Capitol

Bills We're Following

Key Legislative Committees

Talking Point on our Issues

Review of bills from last year's Session

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUB-COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

( This committee makes recommendations on Medicaid and Peachcare payment levels.)

HOUSE HEALTH COMMITTEE

(Click on the names for more information.)

Sharon Cooper Chairman	Ed Rynders Vice Chairman	Doug Holt Secretary
Mark Butler	Charlice Byrd	Mike Cheokas
Doug Collins	Katie Dempsey	Elly Dobbs
Ron Dodson	Karla Drenner	Carol Fullerton
J. Craig Gordon	Buddy Harden	Bill Hembree
Michele Henson	Henry "Wayne" Howard	Sistie Hudson
Sean Jerguson	Sheila Jones	Margaret Kaiser
Mike Keown	E. Culver "Rusty" Kidd
John Lunsford	Gene Maddox	Fran Millar
Billy Mitchell	Alisha Morgan	Howard Mosby
Don Parsons	Ann Purcell	Nikki Randall
Carl Rogers	Barbara Sims	Mickey Stephens
Pam Stephenson	Joe Wilkinson

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS, SUB-COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

(This committee makes recommends on Medicaid and Peachcare payment levels.)

Sen. Greg Goggans, DDS, Douglas, Chair            404-463-5263, drgg@alltel.net

Sen. Tim Golden, Valdosta                                  404-656-7580, tim.golden@senate.ga.gov

Sen. William Heath, Bremen                                 404-463-1361, billheath@billheath.net

Sen. Chip Rogers, Cherokee                                404- 463-1378,  chip.rogers@senate.ga.gov

Sen. Valencia Seay, Riverdale                              404-656-5095, vseay@legis.state.ga.us

Sen. Cecil Staton, Macon, Vice-Chair                 404-656-5039, cstaton@legis.state.ga.us

Sen. Judson Hill, Marietta                                   404-656-0150, judson@judsonhill.com

Sen. Renee Unterman, Buford                             404-463-1368, reneeu@mindspring.com

Sen. Tommie Williams, Lyons                              404-656-0048, tommie@tommiewilliams.com

SENATE HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

Full Committee

Sen. Rene Unterman, Chair

Senator Buddy Carter 301-A CLOB             Senator William Ligon 323-B CLOB

Senator Greg Goggans 421-C CAP             Senator Fran Millar 319-B CLOB

Senator Don Balfour 453 CAP                    Senator Nan Orrock 121-C CAP

Senator Johnny Grant 110-A CAP              Senator David Shafer 421-F CAP

Senator Steve Henson 121-B CAP              Senator Horacena Tate 110-C CAP

Senator Judson Hill 421-D CAP                  Senator Tommie Williams 321 CAP

Senator Lester Jackson 110-D CAP            Senator Miriam Paris 305-B CLOB

Subcommittee Chairs & Members   

Pharmacology                                               Health Care Delivery 

Buddy Carter, 1^st Chair                                  William Ligon, 3^rd Chair

Don Balfour, 9^th                                              Greg Goggans, 7^th

Steve Henson, 41^st                                          Johnny Grant, 25^th

Technology                                                    Professional Issues

Judson Hill, 32^nd Chair                                   Fran Millar, 40^th Chair

Lester Jackson, 2^nd                                         Nan Orrock, 36^th

Horacena Tate, 38^th                                        Tommie Williams, 19^th

SENATE RULES 2010

Talking Points on Key Issues for the 2011 Session: 

Medicaid Budget: Proposed Cut of 1% and Imposing co-pays on Peachcare patients

-The Medicaid budget profoundly affects the healthcare of children and therefore pediatricians. For over 60% of all pediatricians recently surveyed the Chapter, Medicaid patients (children) make up more than half their practice.  While we understand that 1% is a very modest cut in this state budget, it still will have an impact practices must absorb.

-Pediatricians are at the tipping point. Nearly 70% of these pediatricians surveyed said they can't keep providing care for less than their cost and will have to drop Medicaid patients if there are further cuts. Or they will reduce hiring and office hours and staff in order to try to make ends meet, not something the state economy needs now. Private medical practices are, at their core, small businesses.

-Medicaid reimbursement rates to providers have not been increased in over 11 years; while overhead costs continue to rise.

-If a 1% must be absorbed, it must bring with it improved administrative practices by the CMO’s and a halt to unreasonable practices which hinder care for patients and unfair burdens to practices.

-Imposing co-pays on Peachcare children adds an administrative burden to practices which is not really justified for the $200,000 in revenue it is slated to generate.

-In practical terms, many parents will claim they cannot pay this, and with a sick child with them, the pediatrician will treat the child and absorbing the unpaid co-pay as a loss.

Increase the Tobacco Tax on Cigarettes (This will likely be considered as part of a larger Tax Reform package, rather than a separate bill)

-The current Georgia tobacco tax (at 37 cents per pack) is far lower than the national average; and is even lower than most states in the Southeast.

-Raising the Georgia tobacco tax by $1 per pack (to $1.37) will put it at about the national average.

-Scientific data shows that raising the tobacco tax will be good for children's health, because they are far less likely to start smoking if the price is higher. We know that kids are more price-sensitive than adults when it comes to cigarette purchases.  If it costs more, they’re less likely to buy.

-Higher taxes will result in few teens smoking and more adults quitting, which will save millions in health spending, which is now spent on smokers.

HB 132, Requires Insurance plans to cover Medical Foods when medically necessary

-Children are born every year with gastrointestinal disorders that either present proper digestion or result in negation reactions to certain milk products or foods.

-These disorders, while relatively rare, create a situation where the normal formula or food intake is possible and threatens the child’s ability to survive.

-Special formulas are needed to sustain these children’s lives which many health plans refuse to cover because they consider it merely a “food” even though it is critically necessary to the child.

-Nearly 30 states have adopted laws requiring health plans which provide prescription benefits to also cover these “medical food” when deemed medically necessary by a treating physician.

Review of  bills from last year's 2010 Session

 Autism: HB 426, Would have required expanded insurance coverage for autism, including coverage for ABA. Died in committee due to opposition from health plans.

 Bullying, SB 250: Would require schools to develop policies prohibiting, expands definition of bullying, educate parents, etc. Passed.

 Cell phone use & texting by teens: Prohibits use of cell phone and texting by teen drivers and texting while driving by all drivers. Passed.  (HB 23 and SB 360).

 Flu mist vaccine: HB 736, Adds nasal flu vaccine to the injectable forms of flu vaccine which pharmacists may give to those between ages of 13 and 49. Passed.

 Health Insurance, inter-state policies: HB 1184/SB 407: would have permitted sale of inter-state insurance policies, however would exempt them from observing Georgia's mandated benefit laws, including coverage for well-child visits. Died on the last day when Senate failed (intentionally) to take it up. We opposed these bills.

 Heart Screenings for young athletes, HR 1889, Urges Georgia High School Association to notify parents and students about the availability of “heart screenings” and encourages high school athletes to have the procedure done. Did not move.  (GHSA has an initiative underway in this area.)

 Medicaid CMO Oversight Committee, SB 443:  would create a Medicaid CMO Legislative Oversight committee to review consumer & provider complaints, etc. Failed.

 Medicaid Dental Crave-out, HB 1407, Would take dental services out of the Medicaid CMO’s and return them to Fee-for-Service Medicaid program.  Passed, but a veto by the Governor is expected.

 Prompt Pay, SB 62, Requires Third Party Administrators of self-funded plans (aka ERISA plans) to abide by the state’s prompt pay law. Passed.

 Seat belt use, pick-up trucks, SB 458, Requires use of seat belts in pick-up trucks by adults. (Currently those under 18 years old must use seat belts.)  Passed.

 Therapy services for children in Medicaid CMO’s: Would make certain improvements in providing these services in Medicaid CMOs.  Died in committee

 Tobacco tax increase: HB 39, Would have increased tax on cigarettes from .37 to $1.37 a pack & raised about $400M in annual near-term revenue.  Died in committee.

 Trauma Care: Would add a $10 fee to motor vehicle registrations to fund a compressive statewide trauma care system, if passed by voters. Passed.

 For a complete text of any these bills you can visit the Georgia General Assembly website:  www.legis.state.ga.us.   For more information on these or other bills, contact Rick Ward, at the Chapter office, at rward@gaaap.org.  Thanks to the members of the Legislative Committee for their efforts during the session and to all our members who contacted their legislators about our issues.  Your support and participation in the legislative process is vitally important to our advocacy.