ATLANTA (AP) -- A report from the Georgia Hospital Association says hospitals in the state made a $40 billion economic impact in 2012.<br />
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WABE-FM reports ( http://bit.ly/1tCyHwt ) hospitals hired nearly 130,000 employees in 2012 and were indirectly linked to 290,000 other jobs throughout the state.<br />
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The report also showed that Georgia hospitals provided about $1.6 billion worth of unpaid care in 2012. Association Director Kevin Bloye says it's important to make sure more people have health insurance and are able to pay for medical care.<br />
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The GHA and other organizations have pushed for state lawmakers to expand Medicaid eligibility through the Affordable Care Act. However Bloye says for some people, high deductible plans are almost the same as not having health insurance.<br />
