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.
For months, health advocates have sounded the alarm that many who remain eligible for coverage could be cut off for avoidable problems, such as missing a renewal notification, lacking transportation or home internet.
“It means parents saddled with crushing medical debt when their kid has an asthma attack and they leave the E.R. with a bill that they can’t pay. It means teenagers struggling with suicidal ideation not being able to get access to the treatment they need,” said Georgia Budget and Policy Institute analyst Leah Chan.
“And it potentially means more hospital closures devastating the local economies in rural Georgia,” she said.
