5 Georgia health storylines to watch in 2023

Health issues made big news in Georgia in 2022. The trend is likely to continue in 2023, including at the Gold Dome during the upcoming legislative session. WABE will be following along to see how it all plays out and how it could impact communities across Atlanta and beyond. Here are just a few of the topics the newsroom will be watching for.

1. Access to mental health care in Georgia

The state struggles with persistent gaps in access to mental health and substance abuse services and a shortage of providers. In 2022, the General Assembly passed the Mental Health Parity Act, which requires health insurers in Georgia to cover mental and behavioral health conditions on par with physical health conditions. It also provides incentives to grow Georgia’s provider workforce and requires the state to track compliance with the law. In the upcoming legislative session starting Jan. 9, mental health advocates will be pushing lawmakers to build on the provisions in the law, also known as House Bill 1013, and provide more funding for community-based addiction and mental health prevention, treatment and recovery services.  

2. Abortion rights

Last year saw months of legal battles over Georgia’s law banning abortion after around six weeks, when cardiac activity is detected in the womb and before many women even know they are pregnant. The battles are far from over. House Bill 481 took effect a month after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that overturned Roe v. Wade abortion guarantees. A coalition of abortion-rights advocates and medical providers sued to block the law on constitutional grounds. After a two-day trial in Fulton County Superior Court, the case is now heading for the Georgia Supreme Court. Judges there will decide whether the abortion restrictions can remain in effect in Georgia. It’s unclear when the court will take up the case.