coverage gap

Left Behind: The Women in Georgia’s Coverage Gap

Women’s History Month Spotlight: The Stories of Georgia Women in the Coverage Gap In Georgia, women are the backbone of families, communities, and our economy. They are mothers, caregivers, essential workers, and small business owners. They are the ones who often put others first—making sure their children get to doctor’s appointments, their aging parents take their medications, and their neighbors have a meal when times are tough. But what happens when the women holding everything

Action needed: Pathways Waiver Renewal Public Comment Opportunity

The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) has submitted a waiver extension request for the Pathways to Coverage program. The proposed changes still leave thousands of Georgians uninsured and without an option for health coverage, including: Pathways has struggled to meet its goals of meaningfully increasing access to care for low-income Georgians, enrolling only 6,500 participants in a year and a half. That is just 3% of those who would benefit from full Medicaid expansion.

Wooden blocks with health care icons

CHCC Meeting Recap: Framework for Exploring Coverage Solutions Introduced

On Thursday, November 14th, Georgia’s Comprehensive Health Coverage Commission (CHCC) held its 3rd meeting of the year. The CHCC was created by the Georgia legislature earlier this year to study the state’s health care coverage programs and identify opportunities to improve access and coverage for low-income and uninsured Georgians. The Commission is scheduled to deliver its initial report to the General Assembly on December 1st of this year. Missed the first 2 meetings? Catch up

Georgia’s Uninsured Workers Need Our Help

Georgia is one of 12 states that has not yet taken up Medicaid expansion, denying hundreds of thousands of working adults access to quality, affordable health care. If the state expanded Medicaid coverage, approximately 452,600 uninsured adults, or 39 percent of the state’s uninsured adult population, could gain health insurance. Thanks to a new report from our partners at Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, we know that 44 percent of those working without

New federal incentives make Medicaid expansion a deal too good to pass up

Our state leaders have a new opportunity to support the health of Georgians across the state! Under the recently passed American Rescue Plan, Georgia is eligible to receive a sizable financial payment for finally expanding Medicaid. Medicaid expansion would bring peace of mind to more than 500,000 adults with low incomes who are uninsured or struggling to afford health coverage. This is a deal too good to pass up!    Through the American Rescue Plan, Georgia is eligible to

Explained: Governor Kemp’s Plan to Change Medicaid in Georgia

In December 2019, Georgia’s Governor asked federal officials to approve changes to the state’s Medicaid program. Medicaid is a public health insurance program that currently covers half of Georgia’s children, some low-income seniors and people with disabilities, low- and moderate-income pregnant women, and very low-income parents.  The Affordable Care Act (ACA) gave states the option to expand Medicaid to cover adults making slightly more than poverty-level wages (about $16,700 for an individual and $35,900 for

Many farmers struggle to protect most valuable part of their farm: themselves

Originally posted by the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Julia Asherman is a first-generation farmer who owns and operates Rag & Frass Farm in Twiggs County. Rag & Frass produces beautiful vegetables, fruits and specialty flowers for customers throughout Middle and North Georgia. “I feel like farming is just very fulfilling,” says Julia, “I’ve always been a plant person.” As an entrepreneur and small business owner, Julia wears all the hats in her company. She works

Retired Clay County Teacher Struggles with Multiple Conditions

  Teresa began working as a teacher for the Headstart preschool program in 1994 but retired in 2010 because multiple health conditions made it difficult for her to work. Now her family’s only source of income is her husband’s monthly disability check, which is too high to allow him to qualify for Medicaid and too low to allow them to qualify for financial help to purchase private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. (Teresa cannot qualify

Tool Kit for Medicaid Expansion

You can help spread the word about Medicaid expansion on social media and through your networks! Leverage the resources below, tag social media posts with #coverga and link to https://coverga.wpengine.com to help your network take action. For example: Now is the time for Georgia lawmakers to support struggling rural hospitals, address the opioid crisis and provide health care access to 470,000 Georgians by expanding Medicaid. #coverga https://coverga.wpengine.com We can’t afford to wait State lawmakers can help 470,000 Georgians access affordable