May 22, 2013
ATLANTA (AP) -- A spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal says the governor is proposing a plan that would allow lawmakers to avoid an explicit vote on whether to extend an expiring hospital industry tax that helps finance Georgia's health care system.
Deal spokesman Brian Robinson says the governor's floor leaders introduced legislation outlining the plan Monday.
Currently, hospitals pay an amount based on net patient revenue. That money is then used to generate federal support for the Medicaid insurance program for poor, disabled and older Georgians. The arrangement expires in June. That means lawmakers could have to choose between steep cuts to Medicaid or backing the renewal of a tax.
To avoid that scenario, Deal's proposal would shift control over any hospital assessment to the state's Board of Community Health.
