Georgia Focus - GA Access

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to Georgia Focus. I'm John Clark on the Georgia
News Network. The mission of the Office of the Insurance
and Safety Fire Commissioner is to protect Georgia families by
providing access to vital insurance products and safe buildings through
fair regulation that creates economic opportunities for all Georgians. Here
they talk about Georgia Access and how you can access
this to get the best insurance possible. Is John King,

(00:32):
Commissioner of the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commission Well
Commissioner for those who are still learning about it. What
is Georgia Access and why is it important to state
for our state to create its own health insurance program?

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, thank you so much. John. You know, we realized
several years ago that Georgians were not getting the products
you know, they know insurance coverage the world was not
getting out out of Washington, d C. And we realized
that we needed to do better on behalf of Georgians
and so Georgia then it started our own marketplace that

(01:09):
took the part of the Affordable Care Act. So Georgia
is a market solution for the state of Georgia where
Georgians get access to more products from insurance companies and
get the coverage that they deserve and can afford based
on their individual situation, not what the federal government thinks

(01:33):
they ought to have. And so it's a more responsive way.
And also insurance companies get to you know, compete with
each other for affordable coverage and for the parts of
Georgia where we see a need. And so we've been
very successful. The first year we did this, Georgians, we

(01:54):
had one point five million Georgians signed up for private
health insurance. Now, don't I don't work for insurance companies.
I don't care what coverage people get in Georgia. I
just want them to get covered by some type of
insurance so the at least if something catastrophic happens, they
have access to coverage and they can, you know, they

(02:17):
can get the care that they deserve and need. Well.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
Now now that we're moving toward a second year Georgia
Access operating as a state based marketplace, what successes have
you seen so far and that you're maybe proud of
so far?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Well, so far, what we've been proud of is that
we've gone to communities all across Georgia. We've done events,
we go to where places where people are gathering, for example,
the high school game between Lowndes County and Valdosta, going
to Columbus, going to Gainesville, Georgia and having people there

(02:54):
that can speak Spanish, going to Dalton Whitfield County. We
know Georgia better than anybody in the federal government. So
we're marketing and we're bringing people who can answer questions
from Georgia consumers. Because we all know that that insurance
is complicated, and so we go to the places where

(03:15):
people are gathering and we're there to answer their questions
and we can personalize that the answers to have folks
make real choices, not just wait till the last moment
and pick whatever they picked last year. We know that
insurance is complicated. It became even more complicated this year

(03:36):
with the rules that got passed and in Washington, and
so we need to be able to support our consumers
better so they can make the best choice possible.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Well, how does bringing this exchange home to Georgia help
businesses and families and individuals here in our state.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Well, we're demystifying that the whole insurance how do you
select insurance? And we are and we're always you know,
we're putting pressure on companies to put more products, more
types of coverage that will suit the needs of Georgians. Uh.
There's not just three bands of Georgians. There's people who

(04:17):
have a different experience, their their age, their health status,
all these factors that that people need to have available
so they can pick what's best for them, not pick
what the government thinks is best for them. So we're
been very competitive. We got uh nine companies across the

(04:38):
state of Georgia competing. It has actually brought the cost
of health care in rural parts of Georgia tremendously because
we now have a reinsurance program that helps manage some
of the high risk uh you know population. And what
we're trying to do is get people to have co

(05:00):
beverage and so they're now you rely on emergency rooms
to get their primary level of care because that's the
most expensive, most inefficient way of getting healthcare delivered to
our communities.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Georgia has a lot of unique communities, so rural, coastal, military,
and metro areas. How how is Georgia access reaching them
and and support reaching to get support for them across
all regions of the state.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
We're not waiting for people to come to us. We
are going to them. We're traveling across the state. We
have we go to all these events. We're there, we
are Our attitude is there's no wrong door for coverage,
whether there's a phone call, a live event, social media, Internet,
an email, or just calling our agency. There's no wrong

(05:49):
door in getting information so you can make the right
decision for coverage.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
And one of the big goals of this effort has
been improving access to clear health for information, especially for
people who may be navigating or help coverage for the
first time. So what steps have the state taken to
make the process easier and more transparent.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
Well, one of the things we've done, John is allow
you know open enrollment started November first. What we did
is October first, we open our marketplace so people could
do a window shop, not select coverage. So from October
one to November first, people got to window shop so

(06:29):
they could have those thoughtful discussions with an agent with family. Hey,
what do you think is my best you know what?
You know, we use this kind of insurance. It worked
to it worked well, but I think this other plan
might suit our needs. Better. We allowed that one month
and we answer questions from all across the state and

(06:51):
so that was very helpful. But we also also mobilize
close to twenty thousand agents across the state or Georgia
to come and shop around and look at so how
they could do a better job of explaining coverage options
to consumers. And so we're allowing agents to do what
they do best sell insurance.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
Is there a certain time that it ends right now?
Is a certain time any it's.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
Going to go through January fifteen, But we're urging the
public to select coverage by the December fifteen because if
you select before November fifteen, you will have coverage on
January one. If you wait after December fifteen, there's a

(07:38):
potential for you to have a gap in coverage.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Okay, Is there is there a website that could go
to your division or website or something like that and
they go to to get.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
It first of all, Georgia access dot gov is our website,
but also a phone number is one eight eight eight
six eight seven one five zero three, and we have
people standing by to talk to you through or tell
you when is the next live event. Call as many
times as you need to, so you can, so you

(08:08):
can get your questions answered.

Speaker 1 (08:10):
What advice should you have for Georgian shopping for insurance
your concerns that their premiums might rise? What what do
you tell tell them?

Speaker 2 (08:18):
It all depends what kind of coverage you want. Yet
that with the subsidies being removed, yes, well, if you
try to buy the same coverage that you had last year,
likely your your your rates are going to increase. But
what I'm urging the public is to come and look
at the options available. Maybe you had too much insurance

(08:38):
last year that you didn't use, and so potentially there's
an that you might have just been wasting money last year.
By you looking at other plans available, you might be
making a better choice, a more informed choice, and so
your rates potentially would be stabilized or potentially could drop
if you make the right choice. And so we're asking
people to look at your options available. Don't just don't

(09:02):
just select what you're selected last year because it's easy.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
So so a big part is making sure they understand
their options and not just to enroll, but enroll confidently,
and how you're working with them to do that as well.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
Absolutely, we have a number of we have a a
whole group of folks standing by the phone, on the internet,
on email, ready to answer questions to help you. They're
not going to tell you what coverage you ought to buy,
but they're going to answer your questions so you can
make the right choice and what what is the best
coverage for you?

Speaker 1 (09:35):
And finally, for someone listening who's never never shot for
insurance on their own, what's your message that they should
call you and get there, get the answers from you
rather than get it from somebody else. What what should
they do? Why should they see Georgia Access is helpful.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Well, Georgia Access is going to be a neutral, neutral
party that's going to give you. They're going to answer
you questions. But I will not underestimate make the power
of agents, especially independent agents, giving you all the having
all the companies compete for your business. And so the
agents have been incredibly supportive. Twenty thousand of them are

(10:14):
all over the state of Georgia helping their customers. And
that agent works for the individual as well. They haven't
worked for the insurance company. They're there to represent the consumer.
And so our attitude has been there's no wrong door.
I would recommend that you talk to an agent. But
if you don't, if you don't get it your questions answered,
pick up the phone and call us. Well, we'll give

(10:36):
you that. We'll give you the unbiased answer so you
can make the best choice possible.

Speaker 1 (10:42):
And what again is that number? And the website that segos.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
To Georgia access dot gov that our number is one
eight eight eight six eight seven one five zero three.

Speaker 1 (10:54):
Commission. I appreciate your time and thank you for doing.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
This for us. Thank you so much. I appreciate the
opportunity to speak with you, John, and.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
To your public, that's John King, Georgia Insurance and Safety
Fire Commissioner. You can visit Georgia access dot gov to
find out more. The Arthur M. Blank Hospital is a
four hundred and forty six bed children's hospital operated by
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. It opened on September twenty ninth,
twenty twenty four. Located at the northeastern corner of North
Druid Hills and I eighty five in Brookhaven, this nineteen story,

(11:23):
two million square facility features a Level one trauma center.
Arthur Mblank Hospital also offers more than twenty acres of
green space to allow for exposure in nature and hitting
views from patient's rooms. Here to talk about the Arthur M.
Blank Hospital is Linda Massaki, Chief Administrative Officer of Children's
Healthcare of Atlanta. Well Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I went
to the that was in the new hospital the other day,

(11:46):
and I thought about I were going to the old hospital,
and it seemed big. It seemed huge to me. Now
this one is gigantic. It is gigantic. What is so
special about Arthur N. Blank Hospital?

Speaker 3 (11:59):
Well, I guess the first thing is it's nineteenth stories.
It had two million square feet, four hundred and forty
six beds, and it was really designed with patients and
families and mind focusing on the healing power of lighte

(12:19):
and nature and dedication to patient and family experience. So
hopefully when you were there you saw how open it was,
how light it was, and the nature theme both inside
and all the windows allow you to see the nature outside.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
Yeah. I did notice that it came across as really good.
When I was there. I went in the studio and
I was in the studio and all outside of that
you could tell there was there was natural like the
lighting was natural, but also there's the environment. It's just
such such it just opens up. It opens up a

(12:59):
lot bigger than it was at angleson.

Speaker 3 (13:02):
That was really what we were trying to do, and
research shows that nature is healing, and so because that's
the business that we're in and healing, we really felt
like bring the inside out, so let the patient see outside,
but bring the outside in and bring that nature feeling in.

(13:25):
So that was kind of the first thing. So all
the patient floors have rooms that are identical in design
in size, so that allows us to have flexibility, so
there are much larger patient rooms than we had before.
They have a double sized sleep or sofa for parents.

(13:49):
Parents have their own TV, kids have their own TV.
And then they have floor to ceiling windows so everybody
has a beautiful view of the canopy of Atlanta, so
you just see trees for miles and miles and there's
a lot of natural light. On every floor. There's washers

(14:12):
and dryers and family lounges and kitchenettes, so that particularly
for families that are going to be there for a while,
they have a place they can go eat, they can
wash their clothes, which was a big request when we
started building the hospital. We also have so you probably

(14:35):
went to the Seacrest studio. Is that where we went.
So we're excited about that. We can bring in musicians
and movie stars and all kinds of talent. We can
bring in football players, baseball players, basketball players, and they

(14:55):
can broadcast up to the kids' rooms. We also have
the zone. I don't know if you saw that, our
outdoor activity area. Okay, so kids and their siblings can
go down there and do arts and crafts, cooking classes,

(15:16):
They can do a lot of games outside. They can
play basketball or a little mini golf, so a lot
of really great amenities for both the kids but also
for parents.

Speaker 1 (15:31):
Yeah, now nineteen floors is considerably larger than you were
less time when they're Eggleston and we take Scottish right,
and then the hospital over by Grady and all of
them together aren't that big, are they? This is big.
It's really big.

Speaker 3 (15:51):
It is definitely big. Scottish right and Huth Balding hospitals
are definitely smaller. So you know, we wanted to build
it for expansion, so not just for today, but to
take care of kids years to come, and so we
have capacity to expand.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
And grow even grow beyond right there on your campus.
Now you can grow beyond that.

Speaker 3 (16:19):
We could, that's right, So we can add beds and
we can also we have seventy six acres right here
on this corner of North Druitt Hills in eighty five,
and so we have opportunities to expand within this campus
as well.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
You know, does it allow you to have all the
equipment there together so that any child coming in no
matter what the how serious air condition is or what
the condition is, it can be taken care of right
there is that is that part of it.

Speaker 3 (16:54):
Well, we are a Level one trauma center, so and
we're the only pediatric Level one trauma center in the state.
So that's the first thing. So any serious emergency twenty
four to seven we can take care of. So we
have sixty nine emergency rooms and we have six trauma rooms,

(17:21):
so that's a lot bigger and so a car accident
or anything else that's really serious we can handle. Then
our Hearts Center is centered at Arthur and Blank Hospital,
so anything related to heart is all there in one place,

(17:46):
and so that was a big deal for us. And
then all of our cancer is now at Arthur and
Blank Hospital, so whatever it is that you need related
to cancer. It's all in one place. So we centralized cancer.
We have hearts, and then of course we have a

(18:10):
lot of our other specialties that are there.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
What are some of the technologies that you're using innovations
that you just mentioned some, but what are some of
the ones that you're using now at the new hospital.
Does it allow you to use things like that?

Speaker 3 (18:23):
Oh gosh? Well, my favorite is that we have ninety robots.
Really they call autonomous vobil robots. Oh my gosh. And
so we have ninety of these and basically they can
deliver drugs, blood, oh my goodness, linens, food to the

(18:48):
patient's rooms. And so we have the most robots of
any hospital. We have the largest fleet right now in
the country. We also have something called r t LS,
which is real time location system. So if I'm your

(19:09):
nurse and I walk into your room, it says, Linda Mazakite,
your nurse is in the room. And that helps parents
particularly know who's coming into the room. Is it the doctor,
is it the nurse? Is it a tech? And so
that technology is amazing. Every door, every room has a

(19:37):
patient a patient board, a patient information board, and it
lists all of the procedures you're going to have today.
Your doctor can come in and draw things on the board,
he can show you. He or she can show you education.
So we really have the latest technology that any hospital

(20:01):
in the country has and it's really helping us to
provide uh, safer care and more efficient care.

Speaker 1 (20:11):
You know, I was thinking about that. The robots remind
me of that. That really helps you. Because you had
you had to hire so many new people for the
new hospital. How much you have to hire?

Speaker 3 (20:24):
Uh. We hired about eight hundred new positions for the
new hospital and so that was an undertaking in and
of itself a bet. But by the day we opened,
we had hired all those staff and we're now We

(20:46):
were able to train everyone and and now we are
operating very efficiently.

Speaker 1 (20:54):
Did a lot of this staff want to come over
from Hugh Swalling and from Scottish Rite at all? Or
are you you have any you know?

Speaker 3 (21:03):
So everybody moved over from Eggleston and then we opened
it up for anyone who wanted to apply for the
roles at Arthur and Blank Hospital from Scottish Write and
he's falding, you know. Honestly, we didn't have huge take
on that partly because people tend to live near where

(21:24):
they work and so they liked their location. But we
did have some movement.

Speaker 1 (21:30):
Okay, and how did you say you had to hire?
How did you hire? Total?

Speaker 3 (21:34):
We hired eight hundred people.

Speaker 1 (21:37):
Oh wow, wow, yeah, golle so yeah.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
So now we have about four thousand staff that work
at Arthur and Blank Hospital. The big thing though, was
the training. So we completed more than eighty two thousand,
four hundred hours of training and we had to install

(22:02):
thirty thousand pieces of equipment before we moved in, so
that there was a lot that had to happen before
we actually opened our doors on that first day.

Speaker 1 (22:16):
That hospital is like my hometown in a building. My
hometown is about the same, the same amount of people
there down to South Georgia. It's about that's my hometown.
The hospital. That's amazing. Think of it that way. It's amazing.
There's a lot of people.

Speaker 3 (22:33):
So it's also the same size as Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Oh my goodness, two million square feet is what Mercedes
Benz Stadium is.

Speaker 1 (22:43):
Oh man, Oh, now, what are you doing as far
as you know, preparing for the future needs that you have?
I mean, you have everything for the future right now,
But what are you doing to prepare in case you
need this, in case you need that, and so forth.
What are you preparing in the future.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
Well, right now, we are doing a long term strategic
plan for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and that is looking
at what are the other needs in Atlanta, what are
the needs across our state and where can we advance

(23:22):
so that we can take care of all of the
children in our state. And what are ways we can
advance medicine so that we can cure more kids keep
kids out of the hospital. And so we're really looking
at both prevention and life changing cures. And so, thanks

(23:48):
to a grant by the late Bernie Marcus and the
Marcus Foundation, the Marcus Center for Cellular Therapy at Arthur
Blank Hospital will open later this year, so that Cellular
Therapy center will offer a full range of cell therapy

(24:10):
treatments that will treat not only cancer, but lots of diseases.
And so to be able to basically manufacture cells in
the hospital is a game changer for us. So it's
things like that that kind of research and innovation that

(24:30):
we're really focused on for the future. Continuing to really
look for cures for cancer and particularly sickle cell. We've
made a lot of advances there, so that's really what
we're looking at. The other big thing that we're focused

(24:51):
on right now is, as you know, there is a
behavioral mental health crisis in our nation, in the world,
but particularly here in Georgia. So we're looking at really
creating new models of care to treat the kids who

(25:13):
have behavioral mental health issues.

Speaker 1 (25:15):
That's Linda Masakite, chief Administrative Officer of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
You can find out more about them and about their
author in Black Hospital at CHOA dot org. For your
questions your comments on today's show, email me John Clark
at Georgiannewsnetwork dot com. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to
you next week right here in your local radio station
on Georgia Focus.