More than six months into 'unwinding,' Georgia sees high numbers of children losing Medicaid

Jason Bearden, president of CareSource Georgia, talks about how the care management organization is using a mobile clinic to reach people at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage during the unwinding. (Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder)

Health advocates in Georgia are expressing concern over the state’s handling of the Medicaid redetermination process after a Biden administration report found Georgia is among the states with the highest percentages of children unnecessarily losing their coverage.

During the first six months of unwinding its Medicaid pandemic protections, Georgia cut off health insurance coverage for more than 149,000 children, many of whom remain qualified for the safety net program.

The data demands urgent attention, said Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Director of Health Justice Leah Chan.