Georgia officials say they’re working to spread awareness of Georgia Pathways to Coverage, the work-requirement Medicaid program the state launched earlier this year.
So far, fewer than 1,400 people are participating.
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has long touted Pathways as an effective way to cover more uninsured Georgians who don’t qualify for traditional Medicaid health insurance.
When it launched in July, Georgia became the only state with such requirements for a limited Medicaid expansion program.
As of Oct. 13, 2023, the Georgia Department of Community Health reported there were a total number of 1,343 Pathways participants.
That is a far cry from the roughly 90,000 Georgians that Kemp’s office had anticipated earlier in the year would sign up during the program’s first two years.
“Georgia has already invested about $20 million in state funds to launch the Pathways to Coverage program and earmarked another $118 million for the current fiscal year. These low initial enrollment numbers do not match the investment made,” Georgia Budget and Policy Institute Director of Health Justice Leah Chan said in a statement from the group.
