Amid the topics covered by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in his State of the State address Thursday, one top of mind for many Georgians was missing: health care.
That’s a sea change from a year ago when Kemp hailed his signature policy initiatives as a role model for the nation. These included a state-managed marketplace for the federally subsidized health insurance known as Obamacare plans, a robust reinsurance system and a Medicaid work requirement experiment. The programs were designed to lower Georgia’s rate of uninsured adults — one of the largest in the nation — and increase health coverage options in rural counties by managing the cost of doing business for insurance companies.
Yet these policies are under threat this year after the U.S. Congress slashed federal funding and health care subsidy rules, according to Georgia hospital leaders and health care policy experts. Data analysis of Georgia’s health care economy and insurance markets suggest that revenue for providers, along with rates of insured Georgians, will fall off a cliff this year, leaving Georgia residents and businesses in trouble.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
