| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 52 0823 |
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| 2 | 2 | | House Bill 885 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Cannon of the 58 |
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| 4 | 4 | | th |
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| 5 | 5 | | , Schofield of the 63 |
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| 6 | 6 | | rd |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Park of the 107 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Crawford of |
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| 10 | 10 | | the 89 |
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| 11 | 11 | | th |
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| 12 | 12 | | , and Smith of the 18 |
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| 14 | 14 | | |
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| 15 | 15 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT |
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| 17 | 17 | | To amend Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Department of Public Health, so as to establish a program to assist certain pregnant women2 |
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| 20 | 20 | | who reside in low access to maternity care areas and maternity care desserts in obtaining3 |
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| 21 | 21 | | obstetric care; to provide for definitions; to provide for appropriations and funding; to4 |
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| 22 | 22 | | provide for reporting; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for related matters; to5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 1.8 |
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| 26 | 26 | | Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the Department9 |
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| 27 | 27 | | of Public Health, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:10 |
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| 28 | 28 | | "ARTICLE 4 |
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| 29 | 29 | | 11 |
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| 30 | 30 | | 31-2A-70.12 |
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| 31 | 31 | | As used in this article, the term:13 |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) 'Department' means the Department of Public Health.14 |
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| 33 | 33 | | H. B. 885 |
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| 34 | 34 | | - 1 - 25 LC 52 0823 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) 'Low access to maternity care area' means a county in this state that has limited15 |
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| 36 | 36 | | access to maternity care services, as evidenced by having only one hospital or birth16 |
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| 37 | 37 | | center offering obstetric care, fewer than 60 obstetric providers per 10,000 births, or 1017 |
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| 38 | 38 | | percent or more reproductive aged women without health insurance.18 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) 'Maternity care desert' means a county in this state that has no hospitals or birth19 |
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| 40 | 40 | | centers offering obstetric care or no obstetric providers.20 |
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| 41 | 41 | | (4) 'Obstetric care' means the management of low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk21 |
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| 42 | 42 | | pregnancies, including care provided throughout pregnancy and during labor, delivery,22 |
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| 43 | 43 | | and the postpartum period.23 |
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| 44 | 44 | | (5) 'Obstetric provider' means a licensed obstetrician-gynecologist, a licensed family24 |
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| 45 | 45 | | physician who delivers babies, a certified nurse midwife, or a licensed nurse practitioner25 |
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| 46 | 46 | | who delivers babies.26 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 31-2A-71.27 |
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| 48 | 48 | | (a) The department, in coordination with the Department of Community Health and the28 |
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| 49 | 49 | | office of the Commissioner of Insurance, shall establish a program to assist pregnant29 |
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| 50 | 50 | | women who reside in low access to maternity care areas and maternity care deserts and30 |
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| 51 | 51 | | who are uninsured or underinsured in obtaining obstetric care and other related medical31 |
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| 52 | 52 | | services.32 |
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| 53 | 53 | | (b) The department shall establish criteria and standards for services and implement an33 |
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| 54 | 54 | | application process for pregnant women to apply for assistance and an approval process for34 |
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| 55 | 55 | | services consistent with the provisions of this Code section.35 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (c) The department shall be authorized to arrange, provide, pay in part or whole, or36 |
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| 57 | 57 | | reimburse in part or whole for:37 |
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| 58 | 58 | | (1) Obstetric care in a low access to maternity care area or maternity care desert;38 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) Mental health services during pregnancy and the postpartum period;39 |
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| 60 | 60 | | (3) Telehealth services for obstetric care or other related medical appointments;40 |
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| 61 | 61 | | H. B. 885 |
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| 62 | 62 | | - 2 - 25 LC 52 0823 |
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| 63 | 63 | | (4) Transportation to and from appointments for obstetric care or other related medical41 |
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| 64 | 64 | | appointments; and42 |
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| 65 | 65 | | (5) Child care for when a pregnant woman is receiving obstetric care, mental health 43 |
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| 66 | 66 | | services, or telehealth services or attending other related medical appointments.44 |
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| 67 | 67 | | (d) The department shall provide on its public website information about the program45 |
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| 68 | 68 | | provided for in this article.46 |
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| 69 | 69 | | (e) The program established pursuant to this article shall be contingent upon the47 |
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| 70 | 70 | | appropriation of funds by the General Assembly for the purposes of this article in annual48 |
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| 71 | 71 | | appropriations Acts of the General Assembly.49 |
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| 72 | 72 | | 31-2A-72.50 |
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| 73 | 73 | | (a) The department shall be authorized to accept donations, contributions, and gifts and to51 |
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| 74 | 74 | | receive, hold, and use grants, devises, and bequests of real, personal, and mixed property52 |
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| 75 | 75 | | on behalf of the state to enable the department to carry out the functions and purposes of53 |
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| 76 | 76 | | this article.54 |
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| 77 | 77 | | (b) The department shall be authorized to pursue federal funding opportunities and55 |
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| 78 | 78 | | collaborations with private entities, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic56 |
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| 79 | 79 | | organizations to fund the program established pursuant to this article.57 |
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| 80 | 80 | | 31-2A-73.58 |
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| 81 | 81 | | (a) The department shall prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor, the59 |
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| 82 | 82 | | President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons60 |
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| 83 | 83 | | of the House Committee on Public Health and the Senate Health and Human Services61 |
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| 84 | 84 | | Committee for distribution to its committee members. Such report shall evaluate the62 |
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| 85 | 85 | | effectiveness of the program established pursuant to this article, including indicating the63 |
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| 86 | 86 | | total number of pregnant women who sought and obtained assistance through such64 |
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| 87 | 87 | | program, the total number of obstetric providers who participated in such program, the type65 |
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| 88 | 88 | | H. B. 885 |
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| 89 | 89 | | - 3 - 25 LC 52 0823 |
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| 90 | 90 | | of assistance provided through such program, and the amount of money used for such66 |
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| 91 | 91 | | assistance.67 |
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| 92 | 92 | | (b) The department shall biennially make recommendations to the General Assembly on68 |
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| 93 | 93 | | the continuation or discontinuation of or improvements to the program established pursuant69 |
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| 94 | 94 | | to this article in the annual report provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section.70 |
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| 95 | 95 | | 31-2A-74.71 |
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| 96 | 96 | | The department shall adopt such rules and regulations as are reasonable and necessary to72 |
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| 97 | 97 | | implement the provisions of this article."73 |
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| 98 | 98 | | SECTION 2.74 |
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| 99 | 99 | | This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law75 |
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| 100 | 100 | | without such approval.76 |
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| 101 | 101 | | SECTION 3.77 |
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| 102 | 102 | | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.78 |
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| 103 | 103 | | H. B. 885 |
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| 104 | 104 | | - 4 - |
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