Pandemic Pushing Medicaid Numbers Higher As Many Lose Work

States that have expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are expected to have even bigger increases in enrollees, because they allow more coverage for low-income adults.

U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service via AP

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%, versus the same period of time in 2019.

There were also smaller increases in January and February. But over March and April, the state programs saw 88,000 new enrollees, as compared with 64,000 in those months last year.