Senators push Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help more low-income Georgians access quality health care
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced a new push to help more Georgians access affordable health care.
Today, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock launched an inquiry to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to support and approve the Georgia Advancing Innovation to Deliver Equity (GA-AIDE) proposal, which would help more low-income Georgians access quality health care services.
If approved, the GA-AIDE proposal would invest more than $300 million into the Grady Health and Augusta University Health Systems — enabling them to improve access to quality care for Georgia’s most vulnerable populations.
“As the two Georgia Senators, we have made addressing these disparities, particularly for minority communities, a top priority and have challenged Georgia’s health care system to meet these challenges head on with innovative ideas,” Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock said. “We believe GA-AIDE takes an important step in rising to that challenge.”
“We are grateful for Senators Ossoff and Warnock’s leadership in driving innovation within the Medicaid program to address access to quality healthcare, which would lead to significant improvements for Grady’s patients and families,” said John M. Haupert, President & CEO of Grady Health System. “When approved, GA-AIDE will allow Grady to invest in critical areas where Georgia lags far behind, such as access to behavioral health services, maternal and child health outcomes, and cancer screenings. We look forward to the continued collaboration and partnership with the State and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on this important effort.”
“Part of our mission as the state’s academic medical center is to provide care for the entire population of Georgia. I am grateful for the support of our two U.S. Senators on this issue to enhance reimbursement,” said Dr. Brooks A. Keel, President of Augusta University and Interim CEO of Augusta University Health Center. “We are hoping for a favorable outcome that will allow us, as a safety net hospital, to harness innovation that transforms care and improves health equity. This ultimately will better equip us to carry out our mission while improving the quality of care for all Georgians.”
GA-AIDE’s proposed programs will focus on improving care in the following areas:
- Enhancing children’s and women’s health
- Preventing and reducing the impact of chronic conditions
- Improving access to screening and prevention services
- Addressing health care inequities
This is the latest in Sens. Ossoff and Warnock’s continued push to expand health care access and improve health outcomes for Georgians across the state, particularly within underserved communities.
In January, Sen. Ossoff pushed the Department of Health and Human Services to help low-income Americans get to their doctors’ appointments and expand transportation options for recipients.
Last year, Sens. Ossoff and Warnock secured $306 million to help support more than 1,500 hospitals, clinics, and doctor’s offices across rural Georgia.
Click here to read the letter.
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