Grady Memorial Hospital’s Art Kellermann Participates in Release of Kaiser Commission Report - August 14, 2009

Art Kellermann, MD, of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta participated in an August 6 panel discussion on the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured’s report, “Rising Health Pressures in an Economic Recession.” The report found that the 4.6 percent increase in the national unemployment rate that has occurred since December 2007, has translated to a loss of employer sponsored coverage for 11.1 million people. The report also found that total of 4.9 million of Americans have become newly uninsured during this time, and an additional 4.5 million have newly enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. In his remarks, Dr. Kellermann emphasized the important role that public hospitals, such as Grady, play in caring for Medicaid and uninsured patients, as well as the critical role such hospitals play in emergency preparedness. Grady operates the only level I trauma center and provides the majority of indigent care in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Kaiser Commission’s report and video from the August 6 briefing are available online.