Georgia Watch

Utility costs impact every Georgia household. Join Georgia Watch and our partners HouseATL, Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Southface Institute, and AARP Georgia for a conversation with candidates running for the Georgia Public Service Commission to learn where they stand on the issues that affect your energy bills and residential affordability.

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 12:00–1:30 p.m.
Location: Grand Ballroom, Riverside Epicenter
135 Riverside Pkwy, Austell, GA 30168

Register today: https://houseatl.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4091&club_id=732355&item_id=3010121

Hear directly from candidates:
• Sheila Edwards
• Peter Hubbard
• Dr. Josh Tolbert

The forum will be moderated by Crystal Edmonson, Senior Editor at the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and lunch will be provided.

Don't miss this opportunity to hear directly from the candidates ahead of the November election.

Georgia Watch Senior Health Policy Analyst Gracie Landram spoke with Spectrum News Georgia about Wellstar Health System's announcement that it will lay off 761 employees as part of a major organizational restructuring.

While Wellstar says the cuts are limited to corporate and administrative positions, not frontline patient care roles, Landram emphasized that patients and healthcare workers will be watching closely to see how these changes affect care.

"I think the big concern is: Are you giving them more responsibilities and less support now that a bunch of people have been laid off," Landram said. She also noted that giving frontline workers a stronger voice in decision-making could be a positive outcome if implemented effectively.

Georgia Watch will continue advocating for a healthcare system that prioritizes patients, supports healthcare workers, and promotes transparency and accountability in decisions that impact patient care.

Read the full story here: https://georgiawatch.org/wellstar-medical-group-lays-off-761-employees/

Wellstar Medical Group lays off 761 employees By Spectrum NewsWellstar Medical Group is making major cuts after the health system said it plans to lay off 761 employees.The non-profit said the shake-up will simplify structure, strengthen accountability, and bring those in patient

Today, Georgia Watch and a coalition of Georgia-based organizations sent a formal comment letter to the FDIC urging them to deny Opportunity Financial's (OppFi) application to merge with BNC Bank, which would effectively grant a national bank charter to a payday lender.

If approved, OppFi could bypass Georgia's longstanding protections against payday lending and export triple-digit interest rate loans into states where they are currently illegal. This would undermine state consumer protection laws and expose more families to predatory, debt-trap lending practices.

We are calling on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to reject OppFi's application and uphold the strong consumer protections that Georgians deserve.

TAKE ACTION: Ask your Member of Congress to say "No Triple-Digit Interest Rates in Our State!" Dial your representative and urge them to write to financial regulators, demanding the denial of OppFi’s application. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Read our letter here:https://georgiawatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Deny-OppFi-Bank-Charter-Application_Georgia-Letter-to-FDIC.pdf

A new edition of The Watcher is out!

This month's newsletter includes a save the date for our annual Consumer Champions Awards Celebration, highlights from our recent webinar on emerging financial products and consumer protections, updates on Georgia's utility affordability landscape, and the latest news from the Georgia Watch team as we continue advocating for consumers across the state.

Read the full newsletter and subscribe to stay up to date on our work: https://georgiawatch.org/news-press/newsletters/

Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle spoke with Abby Kousouris of Atlanta News First about the devastating impact of insurance prior authorization delays and the growing use of artificial intelligence in healthcare coverage decisions.

For Georgia families like Kathy Lemoine's, delays in approving medically necessary care meant precious time lost with a loved one.

"A robot, an AI bot, is making those life-and-death decisions. That's just outrageous," Coyle said.

Georgia Watch has long advocated for reforms to ensure medical decisions remain in the hands of patients and their healthcare providers, not algorithms. This year, Georgia passed Senate Bill 444, sponsored by Sen. Kay Kirk Kirkpatrick, which prohibits insurers from using AI as the sole basis for denying coverage or overriding a provider's medical judgment. The law takes effect in 2027.

Read full story here: https://georgiawatch.org/we-could-have-had-him-longer-georgia-mother-says-insurance-approvals-cost-her-time-with-dying-son/

‘We could have had him longer’: Georgia mother says insurance approvals cost her time with dying son Watch Here By Abby Kousouris with Atlanta News FirstKathy Lemoine said her son, Andrew, was diagnosed with terminal Stage 4 colorectal cancer at 29, and that the family repeatedly ran into insurance prior authorization requirements

Are you a nonprofit hospital leader looking to strengthen community benefit, transparency, and community engagement?

Georgia Watch invites you to join a listening session on the Georgia Hospital Accountability Scorecard.

This discussion is an opportunity to review the Scorecard's findings, provide feedback on the methodology and results, and help shape future improvements. Your perspective will help ensure the Scorecard continues to reflect the realities facing hospitals while advancing transparency, accountability, and meaningful community engagement.

Two identical virtual sessions are available on July 16 & 17 at 10:00 a.m. Choose the date that works best for you and register today.

https://forms.gle/55LcBnjpT3jEXnq19

Happening tomorrow and Friday!

Georgia Watch is hosting two virtual community listening sessions (July 16 & July 17 at 1 pm) to gather feedback on the inaugural Georgia Hospital Accountability Scorecard, including its findings, methodology, and opportunities for improvement.

Your input will help inform future updates and support Georgia Watch's engagement with hospital systems to strengthen transparency, accountability, and community benefit.

Register here for the date and time that works best for you: http://bit.ly/4p9SRgO

There's still time to register!

Georgia Watch invites nonprofit hospital leadership teams to join a listening session on the Georgia Hospital Accountability Scorecard.

This discussion is an opportunity to review the Scorecard's findings, provide feedback on the methodology and results, and help shape future improvements. Your perspective will help ensure the Scorecard continues to reflect the realities facing hospitals while advancing transparency, accountability, and meaningful community engagement.

Two identical virtual sessions are available on July 16 & 17 at 10 am. Choose the date that works best for you and register today.

https://forms.gle/55LcBnjpT3jEXnq19

Join Georgia Watch and the Georgia Financial Protection Coalition for a free webinar to learn how to identify emerging financial products, recognize warning signs of predatory lending, and connect consumers with trusted resources and protections.

Topics include payday lending, tribal lending, title pawns, earned wage access products, buy now, pay later services, illegal debt collection practices, and fraud prevention.

Whether you work directly with consumers or simply want to better understand today's financial landscape, this webinar will provide practical tools to help protect Georgia families.

Register today: https://bit.ly/4vZtwsI

Georgia Watch is hosting two virtual community listening sessions (July 16 & July 17 at 1 pm) to gather feedback on the inaugural Georgia Hospital Accountability Scorecard, including its findings, methodology, and opportunities for improvement.

Your input will help inform future updates and support Georgia Watch's engagement with hospital systems to strengthen transparency, accountability, and community benefit.

Register here for the date and time that works best for you: http://bit.ly/4p9SRgO