Gov. Kemp signed a package of health-care bills Friday, including the most significant reforms in decades to Georgia’s law governing hospital construction and new medical services. Most of the measures include provisions aimed at increasing access to quality medical care in rural Georgia, an issue gaining urgency as economic development efforts continue to pay off in job creation in rural communities.
House Bill 1339 exempts proposals to build hospitals in rural counties from having to obtain a Certificate of need if they plan to have a full-time emergency room, accept psychiatric and substance-abuse patients, participate in Medicaid, provide indigent care, and offer a training program. Other health care bills just signed by the governor include an income tax credit for health care professionals committed to practicing in rural communities, education loans that can be cancelled through service and expands residential mental health treatment for children.
