April 2014 Newsletter

Passed: Cancer Coverage Equity; Obamacare
Navigator Program to Cease!

 When H.B. 943 becomes law, cancer coverage will be enhanced, Georgia will not implement or operate a health exchange, and navigator programs will end when the navigator grant money is spent.

Conjoined: The Tale of Two Bills

[For 40 days after the session, the governor may veto, sign or allow bills to become law without his signature.]
When District 27’s Representative Lee Hawkins of Gainesville introduced H.B. 943 February 6th, he had no idea how important it would be. From its introduction by Representative Jason Spencer of District 180, H.B. 707 was in trouble. But, thankfully, Representative Hawkins, put his own H.B. 943 at risk to allow Representative Spencer to amend it with critical parts of H.B. 707, and it paid off. On March 18th, the amended bill passed, doubly benefiting Georgians.

Passed within H.B. 943 were parts of H.B. 707, the “Georgia Health Care Freedom Act.” So, when the governor signs it or by July 1st, a new law in Georgia will include this paragraph: “31-1-40. Neither the state nor any department, agency, bureau, authority, office, or other unit of the state nor any political subdivision of the state shall expend or use moneys, human resources, or assets to advocate or intended to influence the citizens of this state in support of the voluntary expansion by the State of Georgia of eligibility for medical assistance in furtherance of the federal ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,’ beyond the eligibility criteria in effect on the effective date of this Code section under the provisions of … the federal Social Security Act as amended.”

Additional Requirements of H.B. 707, as Passed in H.B 943

  • The attorney general will enforce provisions of the Georgia Health Care Freedom Act.
  • Bona fide educational instruction about Obamacare is not prohibited.
  • MEDICAID programs will not be affected.
  • Establishment or operation of a state exchange for Obamacare is prohibited.
  • Conversion of an existing program into a state exchange is prohibited.
  • Navigator programs will be terminated and not renewed when navigator grants expire.
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