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A new year has just begun, and with it comes new laws for the people of Georgia. While most laws usually go into effect mid-way through the year on July 1, there are still some that began impacting Georgians on Monday (January 1), per WSB-TV.
The most significant new law is the Consumer Access to Contracted Healthcare (CATCH) Act, an amendment to the previous Surprise Billing Consumer Protection Act and one that ensures that consumers have access to quality healthcare by "setting adequacy standards for network plans offered by an insurer," according to the bill's text.
"Many times, I refer patients to specialists, and they're unable to see them because either there are not enough of those specialists in a network, or my patient has to drive too far to access those services," said Dr. Cecil Bennett, Newnan Family Medicine Associates, per 11 Alive.
In addition to requiring insurers to have a sufficient number of primary and speciality care providers, the law also guarantees access to mental healthcare and substance abuse treatment programs as well as a larger choice of pharmacies and adds protections for patients using telemedicine.
Another new law is Senate Bill 107, also known as Izzy's Law, named for 4-year-old Israel Scott who drowned during a swim lesson near Augusta in 2022. The law calls for the Georgia Department of Public Health to comes up with aquatic safety guidelines for swim instructors by January 1, 2024, and that the department should review the plan every five years and make necessary revisions. Private swim instructors will need to have safety plans in place by April 1, 2024.
Other laws that went into effect at the start of the new year mainly deal with regulation "tweaks," per 11 Alive, including repealing the requirement for ambulance services to pay an annual license fee.