Only 265 Approved So Far For Georgia’s Medicaid Plan With Work Requirements
Georgia's Pathways Medicaid program — seen as a test case for work requirements — is off to a slow start since its July 1 launch, with just a few hundred approved for benefits. This comes at the same time that thousands are losing traditional Medicaid as states review enrollments, post-pandemic. News on Medicaid unwinding is also reported from Virginia, Missouri, Florida, and Wisconsin.
AP:
Georgia Medicaid Program With Work Requirement Off To Slow Start Even As Thousands Lose Coverage
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed paperwork creating a new state health plan for low-income residents to much fanfare at the state Capitol three years ago. But public health experts and advocates say since it launched on July 1, state officials appear to be doing little to promote or enroll people in the nation’s only Medicaid program that makes recipients meet a work requirement. (Thanawala, 8/19)
Axios:
140,000 People Lose Medicaid Amid Virginia Review
Virginia has booted 140,000 residents from Medicaid this year. ... Patient advocates told the Virginia Mercury they've heard reports that patients aren't receiving renewal paperwork until a few days before it's due. "We are in the process of asking the state how widespread these mailing delays may be, as they affect Virginians' access to care," the Virginia Poverty Law Center's Eleanor Sullivan told the publication.
Missouri Independent:
Paperwork Issues Meant More Than 16,000 Missourians Lost Medicaid Coverage In July
When Rebecca Uccello got a call that her daughter’s Medicaid coverage was in jeopardy, she said it “sent me into a tailspin.” Her 13-year-old daughter, Izabella, has been on Medicaid since age two because of severe developmental disabilities, including a birth defect which prevents her spinal cord from properly developing and a neurological condition which causes fluid build-up in the brain. Uccello, of Springfield, said she received renewal paperwork to verify Izabella’s eligibility on July 7 by mail. She signed, scanned and uploaded it to the state’s website the next day. (Bates, 8/18)
Health News Florida:
More Than Half Of Medicaid Recipients Terminated May Still Qualify, State Data Shows
As Florida continues its Medicaid redetermination process, state data shows more than half of those removed from Medicaid, were terminated for so-called “procedural,” reasons, like not responding to mail, outdated contact information or computer glitches. New data shows that when people reach out to the Department of Children & Families, help is hard to find despite DCF's plans and efforts to contact recipients. (Pedersen, 8/18)
Wisconsin State Journal:
44,000 Lose Medicaid Coverage In Wisconsin As Renewal Process Resumes
Of about 97,000 Wisconsin residents asked to renew their Medicaid eligibility in July, about 44,000 lost coverage and another 44,000 retained coverage, the state Department of Health Services said Thursday. More than 8,000 cases are pending. (Wahlberg, 8/19)
On prescription costs and medical debt —
Reuters:
AARP Urges Court To Uphold Drug Price Negotiation Program
AARP, the leading lobbying group for older Americans, on Friday urged a federal judge not to block a new law that for the first time gives Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies in response to a lawsuit by business groups. AARP in a filing in federal court in Dayton, Ohio, argued that granting a request by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups to block negotiations would frustrate Congress's intent to bring down drug prices, harming older Americans. (Pierson, 8/18)
Axios:
Medical Debt Is Squeezing The Middle Class, Report Says
Middle-class Americans are the most likely to be saddled with medical debt, with nearly 1 in 4 — or roughly 17 million people — having unpaid medical bills, according to a report shared first with Axios from center-left think tank Third Way. Middle-income Americans, who earn $50,000-$100,000 a year, are more likely than those with lower incomes to seek care but don't qualify for Medicaid or charity care to help pay for it. (Reed, 8/21)
On SNAP benefits and food deserts —
The Hill:
SNAP Changes Coming Sept. 1
The changes only affect one group of SNAP recipients: able-bodied adults without dependents (or ABAWDs, as the agency calls them), ages 50 to 54. ABAWDs between the ages of 18 and 49 already need to prove they are working at least 80 hours a month, pursuing an education or in a training program to qualify for SNAP for more than three months. Now, starting on Sept. 1, able-bodied childless workers who are 50 years old will also need to meet those work requirements to receive SNAP benefits. Starting on Oct. 1, the age requirements will be expanded up to 52. Then next year, on Oct. 1, 2024, the age requirement will expand again to 54. (Elmore and Martichoux, 8/20)
St. Louis Public Radio:
Pritzker Signs Law To Fight Food Deserts Across Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Grocery Initiative into law on Friday — a $20 million state program to invest in local grocery stores across the state to curb food deserts and food insecurity. “Too often residents have to cross county lines — sometimes state lines — to pick up bread, milk and produce,” said Pritzker, who signed the bill in Venice, a Metro East town of around 1,500 along the Mississippi river. The entirety of Venice sits in a food desert, more than a mile from a store or supermarket, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Bauer, 8/18)
