This came a day after he signed a historic tax cut bill on Thursday.
ATHENS, Ga. — After signing historic tax cuts Thursday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp ended the week in Athens Friday with six more bills to improve health care access across the Peach State.
In his remarks before signing the bill, Georgia’s governor provided an update on the current state of health care and its improvements over the years.
“While we are proud of the progress we have made, we know there is still much work to do to ensure all Georgians have access to quality, reliable health care,” said Governor Kemp. “
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He said 87% of Georgians currently have three or more health insurance companies. He also said that enrollment in the private sector has increased from about 500,000 to more than 1.3 million.
The governor also bragged about lowering health insurance premiums, but acknowledged that work remains to be done in the Peach State.
“As the Lieutenant Governor said, we are growing too much, which is causing problems, but it also gives us more missions to address. So we are currently working on these new facilities and the legislation. Through both, we are certainly poised to meet this need in the coming years,” Kemp added.
He also noted that two facilities are being established to support the state’s health care industry: the University of Georgia School of Medicine and the Georgia Southern University School of Dentistry.
Before signing the bill, Kemp briefly mentioned adding more than $1 billion to the mental health budget.
Health care bills signed by Governor Kemp on Friday include:
House Bill 82
This expands the local physician tax credit for both physicians and dentists. The governor’s office says the bill is aimed at helping individuals in rural and developing areas access health care.
“We are encouraging more students from outstanding higher education institutions, whose services and expertise are desperately needed, to practice in their communities,” Professor Kemp said prior to signing the bill. Stated.
According to the bill’s text, nurses and physician assistants working in rural areas would also benefit from tax credits.
House Bill 872
This new law would provide service cancelable loans to dental students and other health care professionals who agree to practice in rural areas. Particularly missing roles will be given priority.
Professor Kemp said Friday that this will help meet the needs of front-line and critical students in certain overlooked areas of Georgia.
Senate Bill 480
This bill is similar to House Bill 872, but specifically focuses on mental health and substance use professionals by creating a student loan forgiveness program.
The Georgia Health Labor and Welfare Commission can help determine eligibility requirements, terms, and contract details.
Senate Bill 293
This is new legislation that will help reorganize county boards of health. The governor’s office also announced that each board’s chief executive officer status will be open to those with a medical license to practice medicine.
Senate Bill 377
This legislation helps define “qualified residential treatment programs” to better comply with federal law. This definition will be useful to courts and social services.
House Bill 1339
This bill would help ease restrictions on opening new hospitals in the state. It would also allow expanded tax credits for donations to local hospital groups.