Georgia has streamlined its proposal to the feds for a waiver on health insurance rules, and has postponed its launch till 2022. State officials cited “the unanticipated impact of COVID-19 on the state and its residents’’ in the announcement last week about the changes. The pandemic has required a “prioritization of resources” dedicated to responding…
The economic downturn triggered by COVID-19 is producing the expected result in Georgia’s Medicaid program: A surge in enrollment. State figures show Georgia’s Medicaid enrollment increased by 42,000 in May. That rise followed an enrollment spike of 91,000 in April. During those two months, the pandemic devastated the economies of the state and nation, leading…
Patient visits are way down. Many children aren’t coming in for vaccinations. Some longtime adult patients are now ‘‘train wrecks,’’ with their diabetes and hypertension out of control. “I’m pretty tired,’’ says Todd Shifflet, CEO of Georgia Highlands Medical Services, which runs five medical clinics in Cumming and nearby cities, facilities that have seen a…
“The safety net is stretched to the max.’’ Judy Fitzgerald, commissioner of the agency that oversees mental health and substance abuse services, gave that stark assessment in January to state legislators who were considering budget cuts to her department. Now, even deeper cuts are on the table. Georgia’s budget plans of just a few months…
Georgia data indicate that the economic crisis caused by the pandemic has begun to have an effect on enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. As COVID-19 ravaged the state over the past two months, new Medicaid and PeachCare enrollment in Georgia has increased 38 percent, versus the same period of time in…
Even before COVID-19 struck, Georgia had a high rate of people with no health insurance. Now, with job losses piling up amid the pandemic, the number of Georgians without coverage is expected to spike. A new analysis from consulting firm Health Management Associates (HMA) gives estimates for Georgia that are jarring. HMA projects that if…
Medical clinics serving poor and uninsured Georgians are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. For them, it’s just the latest challenge. These charitable clinics serve the most vulnerable patients for free or a sliding-scale fee. In a new GHN Commentary, the board chair of the Georgia Charitable Care Network says that these clinics will remain open…
By Holly Lang There’s a famous quote by Mr. Rogers in which he recalls his mother telling him that in times of trouble, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Across the state, COVID-19 is testing all of our communities and health systems – especially those primarily serving low-income and uninsured…
Georgia’s rural hospitals have faced financial challenges for a long time. Even the recent economic boom was not enough to pull them out of the ditch. Now things may get even worse. The COVID-19 pandemic is both a medical crisis and an economic shock, and in Georgia, the state’s most vulnerable hospitals could bear a…
Federal officials are asking Georgia for more information on the state’s request for a waiver to make changes to the health insurance exchange. In a letter dated Thursday to Gov. Brian Kemp, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) indicates that the “reinsurance’’ part of that waiver proposal is proceeding smoothly. Reinsurance aims…