Grace clinic, clinical trials govt move to close Georgia clinic, move patients to other hospitals
GABILE, Ga.
— A federal judge has blocked a lawsuit that would have required Georgia’s medical system to keep all patients who received transplants from a Georgia clinic under its care at the Grace Clinic, the largest of its kind in the country.
The judge in Atlanta’s U.S. District Court Thursday morning rejected a request from Georgia’s Department of Health and Human Services to stop the lawsuit filed by the Center for the Advancement of Organ Sharing.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is suing Georgia and four other states over the state’s medical-aid program, which allows patients who have had transplants for transplant to get health insurance.
The lawsuit alleges that the state has allowed the clinics to charge too much for transplants and has refused to fund transplant operations at Grace.
In its complaint, the government argues that the clinics violate the law, which requires the state to provide patients with health insurance coverage at no cost to them, including if they are not eligible for federal health insurance or Medicare.
The complaint says that if Grace were to close, the state would have to provide more than 10,000 patients with care at no charge to the clinics.
The state has said it does not require care at Grachis or any other Georgia health-care facility.
The government’s lawsuit argues that this would be contrary to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights and would be a violation of the U,S.
Constitution.
The lawsuit says the government should not be required to make the decisions that determine the health of its citizens.
Grace, which opened in 2008, is one of the largest and oldest centers of organ transplantation in the nation, according to its website.
It was founded by Dr. Robert Allen, who died in 2013.
The facility is the largest in the state of Georgia, serving more than 1,000 people.
In a statement, Allen said the clinic was “committed to providing the highest quality transplantation services available in the world.
We will continue to do so as long as the health and safety of our patients, patients and the community is paramount.”
Georgia Gov.
Nathan Deal said Thursday that the case was a “massive disappointment” and that the medical-care system is moving ahead with other options.
Deal, a Republican, has said he plans to work with the states and federal government to find a solution to the legal issues.
“The Center for Organ Sharing is committed to continuing to pursue our long-standing goal of closing the Grachisi Clinic, and our partners will continue their commitment to the patient’s health and well-being,” Deal said in a statement.
“We will not rest until we find a way to ensure all of our citizens receive care at our medical facilities.”
The Centers For Medicare and Medicare Services said in an email that it has not been notified of any court decision.
It said it is working with the Georgia Department of Public Health to determine how to proceed.
The government lawsuit argues the state violated the Affordable Care Act and the U.,S.
Supreme Court ruling that established it.
It says the law and court ruling were written so that states and the federal government could make payments for care at a health care facility that provided transplants.
GABILE, Ga.— A federal judge has blocked a lawsuit that would have required Georgia’s medical system to keep all patients…
