Wellpath faced nearly 1,400 federal lawsuits by 2018—for malpractice, injury, and wrongful death. Georgia hired them anyway. Since Wellpath took over prison healthcare in 2021, preventable deaths have continued while the company cited $30 million in “unexpected costs.” Private prison healthcare prioritizes profit over patients. Georgia’s healthcare budget exceeds $339 million—and inmates still die from treatable conditions. 1
Wellpath’s Track Record
The company Georgia chose to provide healthcare:
- 1,400 federal lawsuits—by 2018, before Georgia hired them
- $30 million in “unexpected costs”—blamed on violence they failed to prevent
- Double the trauma costs—compared to other states where they operate
- $7.1 million in staffing expenses—can’t hire qualified workers
Georgia knew Wellpath’s record. They hired them anyway because private contractors promise to cut costs—by cutting care.
How Profit Harms Patients
Cost-cutting measures have direct consequences:
- Understaffing—not enough medical workers for the population
- Denial of care—treatments labeled “unnecessary”
- Reduced training—staff unprepared for emergencies
- Outdated technology—record inaccuracies endanger patients
When private companies are paid per inmate, they profit by spending less on each one. Healthcare becomes a cost to minimize, not a service to provide.
The Death Toll
Privatized healthcare produces preventable deaths:
- 37 homicides in 2023—up from 31 in 2022
- Untreated mental health—conditions ignored until crisis
- Substance abuse neglect—withdrawal without medical support
- Chronic conditions unmanaged—diabetes, heart disease, cancer
The Georgia Department of Audits documented how electronic health record errors create dangerous gaps in care—misdiagnoses, unsuitable treatments, delayed access to critical information.
The Public Alternative
Georgia Correctional HealthCare previously showed what public management can accomplish:
- Better outcomes—care prioritized over profit
- Improved processes—internal systems that worked
- Smarter contracts—hospital agreements that made sense
- Accountability—public oversight of public services
Georgia abandoned public healthcare for private profit. The results are measured in deaths.
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails demanding an end to privatized prison healthcare in Georgia. The free tool crafts personalized messages to Georgia lawmakers—no experience required.
Demand:
- Return to public prison healthcare
- Independent oversight of medical care
- Accountability for preventable deaths
- Adequate funding for medical staffing
Further Reading
- Death by Neglect: How Georgia Prisons Fail to Provide Medical Care
- How Estelle v. Gamble Shapes Prison Healthcare Rights
- GPS Informational Resources
- Pathways to Success
About Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS)
Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS) is a nonprofit investigative newsroom built in partnership with incarcerated reporters, families, advocates, and data analysts. Operating independently from the Georgia Department of Corrections, GPS documents the truth the state refuses to acknowledge: extreme violence, fatal medical neglect, gang-controlled dorms, collapsed staffing, fraudulent reporting practices, and unconstitutional conditions across Georgia’s prisons.
Through confidential reporting channels, secure communication, evidence verification, public-records requests, legislative research, and professional investigative standards, GPS provides the transparency the system lacks. Our mission is to expose abuses, protect incarcerated people, support families, and push Georgia toward meaningful reform based on human rights, evidence, and public accountability.
Every article is part of a larger fight — to end the silence, reveal the truth, and demand justice.
- GPS Mortality Statistics, https://gps.press/gdc-mortality-statistics/[↩]