On Wednesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared his intention to allow low-income parents with small children to enroll in a Medicaid program that covers certain healthy adults without having to work.
Under the Georgia Pathways program, Georgia is the only state that requires certain individuals to work, study, or volunteer in order to be eligible for Medicaid.
Parents and guardians of children under six living in households at or below 100% of the federal poverty line may be eligible for Medicaid without fulfilling those conditions if Kemp’s proposal is approved by the incoming Trump administration.
“In a growing state that needs more Georgians in the workforce than ever before, providing health insurance to a family or individual with young children may be the last piece they need to restart a career and be on the path for a brighter future,” Kemp stated.
With mostly federal funding, the majority of states provide coverage for adults with earnings up to 138% of the federal poverty threshold. Kemp has promoted Georgia Pathways as a substitute for Medicaid expansion for those with low incomes.
To be eligible for coverage, enrollees must perform 80 hours per month of job, volunteer service, education, or vocational rehabilitation. According to Kemp, the objective is to gradually transition them into a position that offers private insurance.
Georgia Pathways had a difficult beginning. About 4,300 people were enrolled in the program after its first year, which represents a small portion of the eligible population.
Experts in health policy have referred to the program as a “failure,” claiming that many individuals who are struggling find the standards to be too onerous.
The initiative has also been criticized for wasting money.
According to KFF, a nonprofit health policy research organization, the program has cost over $40 million in federal and state taxes, the most of which have gone into administrative expenses rather than medical care. Others gripe about the program’s sluggish processing times and difficulties with sign-up.
State Senate Democrats referred to the new approach as “damage control” for the Georgia Pathways program in a written statement.
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“There are over half a million Georgians who need health insurance, and the governor’s proposal falls well short of that, and we’re leaving federal dollars on the table that would help close the coverage gap in Georgia,” Democratic state Sen. Jason Esteves, of Atlanta stated. “Because of the governor’s plan, we will continue to struggle to strengthen our healthcare system.”
Kemp has consistently reaffirmed his dedication to Georgia Pathways.
The program is scheduled to end in September, so Kemp will need to get the next administration to approve his ideas. Kemp described the next administration as a “federal partner that wants to innovate efficiently” and stated that discussions are already in progress.
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According to Kemp spokesman Garrison Douglas, the governor’s revised plan would come with an extra $207,000 in costs. The state just spent $10.7 million to promote Georgia Pathways in an attempt to increase enrollment.
Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are among the Democratic senators who have demanded a federal probe of Georgia Pathways.
