Georgia Watch

05/26/2026

On Thursday, May 28, the Georgia Public Service Commission will vote on a proposed stipulated agreement resolving Georgia Power’s Storm Damage Recovery and Fuel Cost Recovery dockets — a decision that could impact electricity bills for consumers across Georgia.

In comments submitted to the Commission, Georgia Watch urged regulators to prioritize affordability and reduce the financial burden placed on residential customers, who have already experienced multiple rate increases in recent years.

“At a time of rising costs, stagnant wages, and deepening financial insecurity, the Commission should exercise its authority to modify the Stipulated Agreement and approve an order that more fairly balances the needs of ratepayers with the interests of Georgia Power’s shareholders.”

Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle's cross of the Commission Staff panel here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MfTjS5McDe9MHUYdeRBieQqimVV8qU_l/view?usp=sharing

05/21/2026

Access to affordable healthcare remains one of the most pressing issues facing Georgians today. In our latest blog, Georgia Watch explores the growing affordability and access challenges impacting families across the state, including:

• Rising healthcare costs and coverage instability
• Underwhelming enrollment in Georgia Pathways
• Provider shortages and hospital closures
• The growing role of Community Health Workers

The blog also highlights where Georgia has made progress and the policy solutions still needed to strengthen healthcare access, address medical debt, and support community-based solutions.

Read the full blog here: https://georgiawatch.org/the-state-of-healthcare-access-in-georgia-whats-working-and-what-still-needs-to-change/

05/20/2026

A new edition of The Watcher is out!

This month’s newsletter features Deputy Director Natasha Taylor discussing healthcare affordability and access challenges with 11Alive, highlights from our latest healthcare access blog, and spotlights Board Members Johnny Smith and Dr. Maura George Simpson and their work to strengthen behavioral and maternal healthcare access across Georgia.

We’re also excited to welcome our summer interns to the Georgia Watch team!

Check out our website to read the full newsletter and subscribe today: https://georgiawatch.org/news-press/newsletters/

05/20/2026

In advance of Georgia's primary elections, 11Alive's Joe Ripley shared the story of a rural Georgia resident frustrated by her difficulty finding and getting the care she needed when facing a cancer diagnosis.

Georgia Watch Deputy Director Natasha Taylor recently spoke with Ripley about the growing healthcare access and affordability challenges facing communities across Georgia, particularly in rural areas impacted by provider shortages, hospital closures, transportation barriers, and rising healthcare costs.

"There's already an issue in rural Georgia with provider shortages, hospital closures, transportation, getting to care," Taylor shared. "Now you're talking about not affording care as is. That's going to limit people going to the doctor and getting their prescriptions, which is, in turn, going to make people sicker and force people into those ER situations. That creates more of a burden on the limited hospitals you have."

"People are employed, but they have to make a choice between paying their rent and paying to put food on the table or paying for health coverage," she added. "Across parties, I think the biggest issue for people is, ' Am I going to pay my mortgage or am I going to pay for my health insurance?'"

The story also highlights the importance of strengthening Georgia’s healthcare workforce, including Community Health Workers, who help bridge gaps between patients and providers and improve access to care in underserved communities.

Read more: https://georgiawatch.org/healthcare-access-affordability-high-on-many-voters-priority-lists/

Watch Here By Joe Ripley with 11AliveJulianna Ferrone will never forget the day in July 2020 when she felt the bloating, back pain, and abnormal bleeding. It changed her life forever."I was 27 years old when I got

05/11/2026

Georgia Watch's Natasha Taylor joins Joe Ripley with 11Alive to discuss the biggest barriers to healthcare Georgians are facing.

Amidst rising costs and falling insurance enrollment, access to consistent healthcare is becoming harder for many Georgia communities, leading to overburdened rural hospitals and emergency departments.

The state legislature took several steps to improve access to healthcare, but several key bills were left on the table.

Natasha emphasizes the vital role Community Health Workers play to close the gap between communities in need and healthcare providers, public health resources, and coverage options.

Watch here: https://georgiawatch.org/healthcare-access-and-barriers-in-georgia/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crMvVfbJRoM Georgia Watch's Natasha Taylor joins Joe Ripley with 11Alive to discuss the biggest barriers to healthcare Georgians are facing. Amidst rising costs and falling insurance enrollment, access to consistent healthcare is becoming harder for many

05/08/2026

This week, Georgia Watch along with a broad coalition of 15 state-based organizations sent a formal letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, urging the Board of Governors to deny the national bank charter application submitted by the payday lender Enova.

Granting Enova a national bank charter would enable Enova to export its extremely high-interest loans nationwide, overriding longstanding state usury and consumer protection laws and disproportionately harming communities of color, women, seniors, and young people.

Read our full press release here: https://georgiawatch.org/broad-coalition-of-georgia-organizations-calls-on-federal-reserve-board-to-uphold-state-lending-protections/

ATLANTA, GA, May 8, 2026 - Today, Georgia Watch and a broad coalition of 15 state-based organizations sent a formal letter to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, urging the Board of Governors to deny the

05/06/2026

Today, The Leapfrog Group released its Spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grades, assigning “A” through “F” ratings to general hospitals across the country based on how well they protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections.

“While we are excited for the 20 Georgia hospitals that earned an A, Georgia’s continued decline in rankings is a serious concern," said Liz Coyle, executive director of Georgia Watch. "With only a quarter of reporting hospitals earning an ‘A’ and a growing number stuck at a ‘C,’ we are concerned that patient safety is not getting the attention Georgians deserve. We urge hospital leaders to move beyond incremental gains and make transparency and harm prevention their absolute priority.”

Search your hospital on hospitalsafetygrade.org to see its performance on .

04/23/2026

Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle will be a featured speaker in an upcoming webinar, "Watching Your Money," co-hosted by Georgia PIRG and Georgia Watch on rising energy costs in Georgia.

Join the conversation on April 28 at 12 PM to learn how Georgia Power’s fuel costs and storm recovery charges could impact your bill and what’s at stake as the Public Service Commission considers these decisions.

Register here: https://forms.gle/SbwZLieEL3mBXSTv6

04/19/2026

Georgia lawmakers considered multiple bills this session to address the impact of data center growth, but none passed, leaving Georgians unprotected.

In an interview with Emily Jones of WABE News, Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle highlighted the risks to everyday Georgians as utilities expand infrastructure to meet projected demand.

"Everybody who uses electricity in Georgia faces the risk of ultimately having to pick up the cost of building power infrastructure that the state may or may not need,” said Liz. "That leaves Georgians who rely on those utilities at risk of paying extra costs."

As data center development accelerates across the state, concerns remain about rising energy costs, resource use, and the potential for costs to be shifted onto residential and small business customers.

Read more: https://georgiawatch.org/georgia-lawmakers-leave-data-center-tax-breaks-intact-punt-on-energy-costs/

By Drew Kann and Kristi E. Swartz with the AJC When the General Assembly convened in January to begin its legislative session, few issues seemed to get more attention from lawmakers than data centers.A flurry of data center bills

04/09/2026

As Georgia’s legislative session came to a close, lawmakers failed to pass several bills aimed at addressing the growing impact of data centers on energy costs and communities.

Georgia Watch Executive Director Liz Coyle spoke with Ryan Krugman of Inside Climate News about the missed opportunity to act on behalf of everyday Georgians:

“It’s really disappointing,” she said. “They had numerous bills they could have acted on if they really wanted to protect consumers.”

With demand from data centers continuing to grow, advocates warn that without stronger protections, residential customers may continue to shoulder the cost.

Read more: https://georgiawatch.org/bills-to-protect-ratepayers-from-data-centers-fail-in-georgia-legislature/

By Ryan Krugman with Inside Climate NewsWhen the final gavel fell on Georgia’s legislative session, Big Tech and Georgia Power had little reason to be disappointed.For years, tech companies have expanded their artificial intelligence ambitions