Health Care Reform

The Georgia Health Policy Center has formed a work group dedicated to understanding and translating the health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act. The act, signed into law in March 2010, aims to expand public and private insurance coverage, improve the health care delivery system, and increase access to preventive services in the United States.

Experts from across Georgia State University are delving into the details of the law to provide a clear understanding of the impact on state policymakers, agencies, providers, community-based organizations, individuals, and businesses. The group is comprised of faculty and staff from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, the College of Law, and the College of Health & Human Sciences. Our team offers health expertise in the following areas: policy, administration, economics, law, insurance, financing, employee benefits, risk management, public and private coverage, long-term care, public health, and more.

We are pleased to share our health reform policy briefs and other resources:

• ACA Funding for Georgia Community Health
  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides support for community-based organizations (CBOs) to improve community health through health and wellness promotion, chronic disease prevention, and assurance of quality health care. This policy brief will examine the current status of this funding, outline the distribution of the grant awards nationally and in Georgia, and provide a framework for how, going forward, organizations might adapt to the changing health policy environment.

• Health Insurance Exchanges
  A key piece of the expansion of private health insurance through the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the creation of health insurance exchanges. This brief outlines state opportunities and challenges related to exchanges and examines implications from the June 2012 Supreme Court Ruling related to the ACA.
   
• The Supreme Court Ruling on the Affordable Care Act: What will it mean for Georgians?
  On Thursday, June 28, 2012, the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling on the constitutionality of key provisions of the ACA. Read this brief to learn more about what the ruling means for Georgians.

•  An Overview of Health Reform 
   This brief takes a broad look at health reform, the impact on the state of Georgia, and the changes occurring over the next few years. 
   
•  State Implications of Health Reform in Georgia
    This issue focuses on the leverage points available to state policymakers and agencies to shape the health care system in Georgia.
   
•  Implications of Health Reform for Community-Based Organizations
   This brief addresses elements of the health reform law that are significant to community health initiatives.
   
• The Impact of Health Reform on Health Care Providers
   This issue summarizes the impact health reform may have on health care providers (physicians, hospitals, etc.).
   
• The Employer Health Reform Package
  The Georgia Health Policy Center, Center for Mississippi Health Policy, and Florida Public Health Institute have partnered to release a health reform package for employers. The package includes the policy brief "Health Reform Implications for Employers" and the 50-State Health Reform Calculator for Small Businesses^©.
   
• Health Reform: From Insights to Strategies, A Variety of Perspectives
  This report details the Georgia Health Policy Center's 15th Anniversary Project in 2010. The GHPC chose to commemorate this anniversary by conducting strategic consultations of the likely impact of health reform on a diverse group of stakeholders from across Georgia. A symposium was held in October to share the discoveries and potential implications for a broader array of organizations and communities throughout the state.
   
• Health Reform Resources
  Additional topic-specific information will be provided in the future. It is our goal to help you become educated on the law and prepare for the transition. Please feel free to contact Annette Pope, Assistant Director of the Georgia Health Policy Center, if you are interested in learning more about our work and how you, your organization, or state can benefit. Continue to visit our site for updates, information, and links.