Thousands of Georgians could lose Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids as COVID-19 rules phase out

The Georgia Department of Community Health reports at least 1,581 Georgians on Medicaid are losing their health insurance during the so-called Medicaid unwinding that is now underway across the country. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Health officials are urging Georgians with Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids to confirm that all of their contact information is updated in the state’s online Gateway system. On April 1, Georgia and other states began the so-called Medicaid unwinding, a nationwide process to recertify Medicaid recipients’ continued eligibility for coverage through the program. 

For the last three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government required states to continuously cover people enrolled in Medicaid programs to ensure access to health insurance during the public health emergency. That official Public Health Emergency expires in mid-May. And the federal government is giving states until April 2024 to initiate renewals, and until June 2024 to complete eligibility reevaluations for every single Medicaid recipient.

In Georgia, that’s about 2.7 million people, most of them children.