The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current, December 21, 2022, Image 6

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The Braselton news., December 21, 2022, Image 6

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Newspaper Page TextPage 6A The Braselton News Wednesday, December 21, 2022 State round-up Congressional representatives: Federal government should ensure timely cataract surgeries for older Georgians By Rebecca Grapevine Capitol Beat News Service The federal government should ensure Medicare Advantage insurers Hu mana and Aetna cover cataract surgeries for older Georgians without delays or denials. Georgia's Dem ocratic Congressional rep resentatives said this week. Aetna started requiring prior authorizations (PAs) for cataract surgeries in its Medicare Advantage plans across the country last year. After protests from doctors and others, Aetna rolled back the poli cy - except in Georgia and Florida. Humana, another large Medicare Advantage insurer, enacted a similar policy in August requiring prior authorizations for cataract surgeries in Geor gia, Capitol Beat reported earlier this year. “These PA policies put Georgia [Medicare Ad vantage] patients at greater risk of falls and accidents as their vision continued to deteriorate while they wait for surgery,” the six Democratic representa tives said in a letter to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, chief administrator for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), the federal health-care reg ulator. “Georgia [Medicare Ad vantage] beneficiaries have faithfully paid their pre miums every month and their access to sight-re- storing surgery should not be delayed. They deserve to have the same access to sight-restoring surgery that Aetna and Humana... beneficiaries have in other states,” the representatives added. This week's letter from the Democratic represen tatives follows a similar letter sent to Brooks-La- Sure in November by a group of Republican U.S. representatives from Geor gia. “Aetna's and Huma na’s prior authorization policies simply create ob stacles to this common surgery for both patients and their physicians,” the five Republican legislators wrote. Aetna and Humana rep resentatives told Capitol Beat in September the pri or authorization policies in Georgia are due to the companies’ pre-existing relationship with Flor ida-based iCare Health Solutions, a contractor that handles eye-care claims. Georgia eye doctors say the policy is unnecessary. “It's a burden and a de lay,” Dr. J. Chandler Berg, an Albany-area doctor and president of the Georgia Society of Ophthalmol ogy. told Capitol Beat in September. Prior authorization re quirements are also a na tional concern. A report by the Office of Inspector General in the U.S. De partment of Health and Human Services last April found around 13% of Medicare Advantage prior authorization denials were for services that would have been covered under traditional Medicare. CMS recently issued a proposal to change its rules around prior authorization. If implemented, the new rule would require health insurers to streamline their prior authorization policies by 2026. along with other requirements. CMS will accept public comments on the rule until March 13, 2023. The proposed CMS rule is similar to a bill that ad dresses PA requirements passed by the U.S. House earlier this year. That bill, called the Improving Se niors’ Timely Access to Care Act, is currently stalled in the Senate. Older Americans can enroll in Medicare Advan tage plans through private health insurance compa nies instead of obtaining health care through tradi tional Medicare. More than half of Georgians enrolled in Medicare, the federal in surance program for adults 65 and older, are members of private Medicare Ad vantage plans rather than the traditional Medicare program for their health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Democratic U.S. Representatives who signed this week’s letter are David Scott, D-Atlan- ta, Henry “Hank” Johnson Jr., D-Stone Mountain, Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, Sanford Bishop Jr., D-Al- bany, Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta, and Carolyn Bourdeaux, D-Suwanee. The Republican U.S. Representatives who sent a similar letter in November are Bud dy Carter, R-Savan- nah, Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville. Drew Fer guson, R-West Point, Rick Allen, R-Augusta, and Austin Scott, R-Tif- ton. Legislative committee recommends funding home- and community-based care for 2,400 more Georgians with disabilities By Rebecca Grapevine Capitol Beat News Service Georgia should add 2,400 slots for serving people with intellectual and developmental dis abilities in their homes and communities in next year’s budget, a state Senate study committee recom mended Wednesday. “We're looking at hope fully being able to elim inate the waiting list over a three-year period,” said state Sen. Sally Harrell, D-Atlanta, co-chairwoman of the committee. The waiting list current ly has more than 7,000 people on it. The program pays for support services for peo ple with an intellectual or developmental disability so they can remain in their homes and communities and not languish in large institutions. Increasing the funding for the program so that the waiting list can be cleared has long been a priority of the disability advocacy community, and the study committee's recommen dations may be the crucial first step toward decreas ing the length of the wait ing list. The study committee, which held several public meetings this fall, grew out of a resolution passed ear lier this year that aimed at addressing the waiting list and other problems faced by Georgians with intel lectual and developmen tal disabilities. The panel adopted 14 recommenda tions on Wednesday. Key among them is that Georgia set up a special commission devoted to improving services for people with intellectual and developmental disabil ities along the lines of the state’s Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission. That com mission, formed in 2019, spearheaded the drafting and passage of a sweeping mental health reform bill earlier this year. The intellectual and de velopmental disabilities commission would include not just legislators but key staff members from state agencies, experts, family members and people who have developmental or in tellectual disabilities. Georgia should also consider refining how the waiver waiting list works, the study committee's re port suggested. The wait ing list should take into account people’s current and future needs, their cur rent supports, age, region and other factors. The list also should be made more transparent so the public can better understand how it works. The committee also is sued several recommen dations for addressing the state’s shortage of di rect-support professionals, the frontline workers who help disabled people with daily tasks and other sup port. The shortage in the field is due in part to the low pay for the job. The committee recommended increas ing wages in fiscal 2024. noting that pay should be sufficient for workers to cover transportation and housing. The committee did not provide a specific amount for the wage in the report. However, the state De partment of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) re cently issued a draft report suggesting the rate for di rect support professionals be raised to just above $15 an hour. Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, the commit tee’s other co-chairman, said he thought $15 would likely not be enough to ad dress the worker shortage, especially given recent in flation. “We know that our end goal is not yet achieved [with the $15 recommen dation].” he said. “[But] this is advancing the ball.” The report also recom mended the state consider finding a way to add retire ment, health-care and oth er benefits for direct sup port workers to incentivize entering and remaining in the field. The state should also consider adding a professional credentialing process for direct-support jobs. The committee also sug gested the state find a way to pay family members who act as caregivers for people with intellectual and developmental dis abilities. Another suggestion in cluded in the report is that Georgia consider shifting medical care for people with intellectual and de velopmental disabilities to a managed-care model currently used in many other areas of health care. The state would pay a pri vate insurance company to provide medical care for people in the program. If the state wants to move forward with the idea, the report recommends first setting up a pilot program enrolling about 1% of the people who need the services, around 130 to 150 Georgians, to test out whether the managed-care model would deliver quali ty care for this population. “We are so grateful to everyone who came for ward and told their sto ries,” Harrell said. “Each story helped to highlight a different piece of the puz zle. Once we put that puz zle together, it was clear that this community is in crisis with tremendous un met needs.” State senate committee recommends HBCU economic prosperity planning districts By Rebecca Grapevine Capitol Beat News Service Georgia should establish special economic prosperity planning districts for its 10 His torically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), a bipar tisan state Senate committee recommended Thursday. The proposed HBCU Inno vation and Economic Prosperity Planning Districts would help the colleges address critical needs and increase engage ment from the surrounding communities, said committee chairwoman Sen. Sonya Halp- em, D-Atlanta. Areas of focus might include housing, digital infrastructure, small business and workforce development, and environmental and facility upgrades for the institutions and their communities. “We have heard time and time again that [HBCUs] are real economic drivers for the state,” Halpem said. “But we’ve also heard there’s a lot of opportuni ties yet in front of our HBCUs to be better supported in their infra structure. ... This would be an innovative approach to begin to conal the asset that we have as our HBCUs ... and use [them] as a real catalyst for the commu nities in which they sit.” The General Assembly would need to approve legislation cre ating the planning districts as a first step. The study committee also recommended that the Geor gia HBCUs produce a biennial report focused on how various state agencies can support the institutions. The reports would be authored by a third-party organization and focus on how HBCUs can benefit from state resources, including funding, conttacting opportunities, and technical assistance. The pro posal is modeled on a similar effort in Tennessee that has been successful. Halpem said. The committee also recom mended creating an HBCU Caucus within the General As sembly. The bipartisan, bicam eral caucus would be modeled on the HBCU Caucus in Con gress. The committee also recom mended creating HBCU sub committees within both the state Senate and House Higher Edu cation committees. This would provide a dedicated forum to discuss HBCU problems and potential legislative solutions, Halpem said. The study committee held several meetings this fall and lis tened to testimony from experts, HBCU officials, and alumni. Georgia lawmakers recommend raising law enforcement salaries By Dave Williams Capitol Beat News Service A legislative study committee voted Tuesday to recommend paying Georgia law enforce ment officers a starting salary of $56,000 a year, the national average. The House State and Lo cal Law Enforcement Salaries Study Committee also proposed that the state create an option al statewide law enforcement retirement system retiring law enforcement officers and fire fighters could choose to join rather than their local agency’s pension plan. Unlike local plans, the state plan would be transfer able should the individual join another police agency or fire department. At previous meetings earlier this fall, the committee heard representatives of state and lo cal law enforcement agencies call for higher pay and benefits to make it easier to recruit and retain officers and investigators. “Nationally, Georgia ranks sixth lowest in police salaries. That’s terrible,” Rep. Clint Crowe, R-Jackson, a former police officer, said Tuesday. “We're losing numbers every where. ... We've got to do some things to make folks want to stay in this profession.” The $56,000 salary figure came from a presentation during an earlier meeting by Butch Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. It was amended onto the study committee’s final report by Rep. Yasmin Neal. D-Jones boro, also a former police offi cer, after the original version of the report made no mention of a specific salary goal. “That’s the purpose of this committee. They’re looking for a number,” Neal said. “If you don’t give people somewhere to start, we’re leaving it up in the air.” PUBLIC MEETINGS... FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH you can list your group’s meetings! Banks County News * Jackson Herald Madison County Journal * Braselton News 4660 1 St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church Mass Schedule: Sat. 4:01 p.m., Sun. 11:11 a.m, Tues. 12:10 p.m. Mon,, Wed, Thurs. & Fri. 10:00 a.m, Spanish Sun. 8:00 a.m. Website: www.stcatherinelabourega.org 706-367-7220 Tri-County f Shrine Club 3rd Thurs. of each month 7:30 p.m. Rockwell Lodge 191 JEFFERSON AMERICAN LEGION * wear blue run to remember CIRCLE OF REMEMBRANCE FOR FALLEN SERVICE MEMBERS Post 56 • Meets 2nd Fri., 9:00 a.m. Joe Ruttar, Commander Phone (860) 949-4037 309 Lee St., Jefferson, GA 12971 MADISON COUNTY DEMOCRATS Meet Monthly For Time, Date & Location: Facebook: MadisonCountyGaDemocrats Or mcgademocrats.wixsite.com/mcdp JEFFERSON ROTARY CEUB Meets Tuesdays 12:00 Noon Jackson County Historic Courthouse 85 Washington St., Jefferson Traci Bledsoe, President 678-227-8417 ^ Pilot Club of Jefferson Meets 3rd Tuesday of each month, 6:30 p.m. Jefferson City Clubhouse 706-367-9313 or 706-693-4715 BANKS COUNTY 13004 HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. Meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks County Historical Courthouse at 105 U. S.Hwy 441 North in Homer, GA 12623 JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m.. (404) 368-4327 Noble (Bo) Jones, President /0k 12972 JL? ROCKWELL LODGE F& A.M. No. 191, Hoschton, GA 2nd Tues. at 7:30 p.m. • Dinner at 6:30 p.m. www.rockwelllodgel91.com Two blocks behind Larry's Garage West Broad at Hall Street 12619 JEFFERSON AMERICAN LEGION Post 56 • Meets 3rd Tues, 6:30 p.m. Joe Ruttar, Commander Phone (860) 949-4037 309 Lee St, Jefferson, GA KIWANIS OF JEFFERSON Meetings every 2 nd & 4 th Monday at Noon Cream & Shuga Contact Darryl Gumz at 770-605-6656 for more info. FOR ALL YOUR PRINTING NEEDS, CALL 706-367-5233. Call 706-36 meeting ►7-5233 to adv date, time an ertise your d place.