Georgia
Georgia Senate passes certificate of need reform measure – Washington Examiner
(The Center Square) — The Georgia Senate has passed a measure to reform Georgia’s certificate of need laws.
Lawmakers passed House Bill 1339 by a 43-11 margin. The House overwhelmingly passed the measure last month, and the amended version returns to the House for consideration.
State lawmakers considered removing the mandate last year but didn’t act, and the House and Senate established study committees to explore possible changes to the CON mandate. The Senate study committee recommended lawmakers repeal the mandate, while a House version offered more measured recommendations.
“In Georgia, your zip code should not determine your access to quality healthcare; that includes areas like South Fulton and Cuthbert,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones, a Republican, said in a statement. “The Senate passed a measure today that would ensure that every Georgian, regardless of where they live, would have an opportunity to access quality care in their community. I urge the House to take swift action on this measure.”
CONs have been in place since the 1970s, and according to the Georgia Department of Community Health, CONs “measure and define” the need for a facility, aim to control costs and ensure Georgians have access to healthcare. The measure includes more exemptions from the CON mandate but does not outright eliminate it.
“Lawmakers can do more to help and protect Georgians. They can close the coverage gap at a time that expanding health care access has unprecedented, bipartisan support across the state. We urge lawmakers to find a Georgia-specific solution to close the health care coverage gap now,” John Hoctor, managing director of advocacy for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Georgia, said in a statement.
It also creates a Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission to advise elected officials and policymakers on opportunities to improve healthcare for the state’s low-income and uninsured populations.
“Certificate of Need laws in our state have created unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles that limit access to health care and increase costs,” Americans for Prosperity – Georgia State Director Tony West said in a statement. “…This bill would no longer require Certificate of Need for perinatal services, in hospital settings and non-hospital settings, including birthing centers.”
Separately, Georgia Democrats continue their push to expand Medicaid in the state. Instead of expanding Medicaid, the state launched the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program in July 2023, which provides Medicaid to Georgians between 19 and 64 in households with incomes up to the federal poverty level but are not eligible for regular Medicaid.
“House Bill 1339 as amended in the Senate will hurt rural hospitals, because the bill does little to address the economic hardships caused by large numbers of uninsured and under-insured patients, which not-for-profit hospitals are required to treat without regard to their ability to pay,” Monty Veazey, president and CEO of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, said in a statement to The Center Square. “Short of Medicaid expansion, hospitals will continue to run operating deficits, and we will continue to lose rural hospitals.
“Certificate of Need helps ensure lower patient costs and protects hospitals’ financial stability, but the increased exemptions in the Senate version of HB 1339 will put additional pressure on already suffering hospitals,” Veazey added. “Increasing the cap on the successful rural hospital tax credit helps, but is not enough to stem the tide of financially-troubled rural hospitals.”
Georgia
HALFTIME: Georgia Bulldogs Lead Auburn in Low-Scoring Affair
The Georgia Bulldogs are halfway through their annual meeting in “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.” Here is how the game has played out so far.
The Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers have completed the first 30 minutes of their annual rendition of “The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” with the Dawgs heading to the locker room with a 14-3 lead. As the second half approaches, here is a recap of everything that happened in the first half.
The Tigers began the game with the ball and marched for about 20 yards before the offense stalled out and was forced to punt. The Bulldogs offense then took the field and proceeded to march 75 yards for a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Auburn’s offense would respond with a field goal to cut the Dawgs lead to 7-3. The Bulldogs’ next offense drive would run out the remaining time in the quarter.
Georgia continued its second offensive drive of the game before stalling out around the 45-yard line and punting for the first time of the game. The Tigers were able to once again sustain a decent drive but were unable to produce any points and were once again forced to punt. Georgia took over inside its own 30 and pushed the ball down the field before an inopportune penalty forced the Bulldogs to punt just after the two-minute timeout. Auburn would be held to a three-in-out deep in their own territory and would give Georgia the ball back around the 50-yard line with just over a minute to work with. The Dawgs would cash in with a touchdown to give them a 14-3 lead.
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Georgia
2026 Four Star Safety Cortez Redding Lists Georgia Tech As One of His Top 12 Schools
It is never too early to look ahead to the 2026 class. Georgia Tech already has the interest and attention of a heavily coveted safety prospect Cortez Redding. The Yellow Jackets don’t have any commitments from the 2026 class yet, but it is a good sign they are in the running for a high-end prospect.
Cortez Redding plays for the Jonesboro Cardinals in Jonesboro, Georgia. He is one of the best safety prospects in the country. According to 247Sports Composite, Redding is rated as the No. 16 safety, the No. 23 player in Georgia, and the No. 197 player nationally. Before narrowing down his list on Friday, Redding had 42 offers before cutting down his list of schools. His top 12 include Florida, Oregon, Kentucky, UNC, USC, Tennessee, LSU, Missouri, NC State, Florida State, Auburn, and Georgia Tech.
Redding is a hard-hitter who loves to play in the box and make disruptive plays. He is known for making sticks and causing opposing ball carriers to fumble the football. He is also an excellent open-field tackler. Redding can also play centerfield, run from one side of the field to the other, and make a play on the ball. A rare trait you see from safeties, only the elite ones can do this at a high level consistently. Think Ed Reed potential here. I don’t say this lightly, I’ve seen Redding play a few times in person.
One of them was during the spring. I was making a tour of different high school football teams in the peach state to see how teams looked. I interviewed Redding after a spring game win against rival Lovejoy. I asked him about his best attribute on the field.
“My best attribute is my IQ and physicality. I feel like I can tackle anybody and guard anybody,” said Redding.
Redding is also a multisport athlete who is also a high-level basketball player and a great all-around player on the court. As a sophomore for the Cardinals, Redding averaged 11.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds. He nearly tripled his scoring numbers from the year before.
The Yellow Jackets got on Redding early and was one of the first schools to offer him last September before he blew up in recruiting. Redding would be a great addition to the Yellow Jackets if they could keep him home. He has great instincts and would fit the defensive backfield seamlessly and make a big impact in that area. It is still early but a recruitment to continue to watch as teams jock for positioning in the late winter and early spring.
I also got a chance to do an exclusive interview with Redding and some of his teammates back in the summer in a rare uncut and unfiltered interview. It was just Redding being his natural self in his element which was cool to see. One thing that is impressive about him is how hard he works and how much he wants to be great. He goes above and beyond and constantly challenges himself to be the best on the field every time he steps on it.
Georgia
Irish Fall To No. 19 Georgia Tech In Five Sets
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish fell in a tough five-set battle to the No. 19 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at home on Friday night (25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 17-25, 13-15).
Morgan Gaerte finished with a career-high 18 kills, followed by Sydney Palazzolo with 15 kills and 14 digs. Lucy Trump, Anna Bjork, and Phyona Schrader each tallied eight kills a piece and Grace Langer finished with a team-best five blocks.
The Irish had their strongest offensive production in set one to start things off, hitting .333 and recording 17 kills as a team led Notre Dame to a 25-22 win in the first set. Tied at 18-all, the Irish would take a 22-18 advantage to force a Yellow Jacket timeout. Georgia Tech responded with a 3-0 run to force a Notre Dame timeout in return, but kills from Schrader and Trump coupled with a block from the freshman duo of Gaerte and Bjork secured the win.
It was back and forth between the Irish and Yellow Jackets in set two as there were nine ties and three lead changes. With Georgia Tech in front 18-17, the Irish were working to close the gap, but the Yellow Jackets would even the playing field at 1-1 as they took the second set 25-21.
Notre Dame recorded another strong offensive set in the third, tallying another 16 kills as a team and hitting at a clip of .325. Posting a lead of 17-10, the Irish forced a Georgia Tech timeout, but the Yellow Jackets responded as they closed the gap to three at 20-17 and forced an Irish timeout in return. Gaetre sent home another kill to seal the deal on set three as Notre Dame took a 2-1 advantage by winning the third 25-20.
It was another close start in the fourth as the Yellow Jackets led by just one at 10-9 before going on a 6-0 run to extend their lead 16-9. The Irish closed the gap to three at 17-14, but Georgia Tech would close it out with an 8-3 run to take it to a fifth set.
With Georgia Tech up 7-5 in the final set, the Irish called a timeout and responded with a 5-1 run to take the lead 10-8 and force the Yellow Jacket timeout. With Notre Dame leading 12-9, the Yellow Jackets strung together four straight points to make it 13-12 as the Irish called their second timeout. A kill from Trump tied it up at 13-all, but the ranked Georgia Tech squad would score the final two points to take the last set 15-13.
The Irish are back in action on Sunday as they host the Clemson Tigers at 1:00 pm at Purcell Pavilion.
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