Ga. Legislature Approves CON Changes, Medicaid Funding Plan, Hospital Transparency

In a whirlwind of activity on health care bills, the General Assembly on Friday approved substantial changes to the state’s certificate-of-need system and the renewal of a Medicaid funding mechanism.

The CON provisions in House Bill 186 will allow Cancer Treatment Centers of America a pathway to expand the capacity of its Newnan facility and treat more Georgia patients.

And in a separate bill, the House and then the Senate agreed to renew the hospital provider fee that fills a nearly $1 billion hole in the state Medicaid budget. House Bill 321 also contains strong financial disclosure requirements for nonprofit hospitals. It passed the House 107-61. The Senate agreed to that version later Friday by a 50-2 vote.