Medicaid Unwinding Create Grounds for Bipartisan Collaboration
Rep. Katie Dempsey and Minority Caucus Chairman Rep. Billy Mitchell showed bipartisan attention to the upcoming reassessment of state Medicaid roles
For over two years Georgia, has not booted any recipient off of Medicaid due to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; however, that provision ends March, which could mean thousands of Georgians losing health coverage.
By unwinding continuous Medicaid coverage, state agencies and local community health centers will face a significant lift in reviewing eligibility requirements for the nearly 2.7 million Georgians.
Georgia House members recognize this impending stress on Georgia’s healthcare system and are seeking bipartisan solutions to address it.
Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Billy Mitchell took to the well first to provide information in the upcoming unwinding. He said that there was a 41% increase in Medicaid enrollment since the start of the pandemic and that nearly half a million Georgians are at risk of losing coverage during the unwinding process.
He added that there bills introdcued in the House that would fully expand Medicaid, an issue that will likely not gain traction this session.
Rep. Katie Dempsey reemphasized Chairman Mitchell’s appeal for lawmakers to educate themselves on the upcoming unwinding.
“Our challenge — each and every one of us — is to make sure that those who should have this resource, do have it,” Rep. Dempsey said.
Read up on the latest about Medicaid in Georgia
Last year courts approved Governor Kemp’s “Georgia Pathway” partial Medicaid expansion which includes a work requirement // Path cleared for Georgia to launch work requirements for Medicaid
The work requirement in place would include 80 hours of work, job training, education, or community service per month with additional provisions for tobacco users and non compliant recipients // How Georgia's Medicaid work requirement program will work
Critics of Governor Kemp’s plan say he is leaving millions of federal dollars through incentive programs and matching funds on the table by not fully expanding Medicaid in the state // Money Matters: Comparing the Costs of Full Medicaid Expansion to the Pathways to Coverage Program