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April is Medicaid Awareness Month!

Four ways to celebrate Medicaid Awareness Month with GHF

April is Medicaid Awareness Month and GHF is celebrating!

Medicaid covers half of Georgia kids, half of births in the state, and three out of four Georgians in long-term care (like nursing homes). Without Medicaid, low-income Georgia families would have almost no way to enroll in health coverage. Now, Medicaid is proving even more important to Georgia’s health as our state battles the coronavirus. Medicaid is expanding the number of providers available to treat Georgians during the pandemic and keeping Georgians covered when they may have lost their coverage otherwise.

GHF is celebrating Medicaid Awareness Month and we want you to join us! Here are four ways you can celebrate:

• Contact Governor Kemp and state legislators and encourage them to expand Medicaid
• Schedule a virtual Georgia Voices for Medicaid session by contacting Alyssa Green at agreen@healthyfuturega.org for more information.
• Use and share GHF’s updated fact sheets and resources! Check them out below.
• Share your Medicaid story!

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Medicaid as Part of the COVID-19 Response

Medicaid is meant for this moment

Medicaid is key to Georgia’s COVID-19 response efforts. Not only is it providing coverage for 2 million Georgians in the midst of this pandemic, but Medicaid is also one of the fastest ways for the federal government to send money to Georgia and health care providers struggling to meet the needs of Georgia patients and families. Medicaid’s flexibility has allowed more doctors and other providers to step up and make themselves available to treat Georgians with and without COVID-19. Medicaid’s flexibility has also allowed new mothers, children, and many other Georgians to keep their coverage for the duration of the public health emergency when otherwise they may have lost it.

Our partners at Voices for Georgia’s Children are tracking the ways that Medicaid is meeting this moment for Georgians. Check out their weekly tracking sheet to keep up! 

Even as Medicaid is helping Georgia respond to COVID-19, it could be doing even more! Before the pandemic, an estimated 500,000 low-income Georgians were uninsured because Georgia has not expanded Medicaid to provide them with health insurance. One million Georgians lost their jobs in the last month, so that number is surely higher now. Governor Kemp and Georgia’s state legislators can easily provide these Georgians with the same health benefits that are available to people in similar situations in 37 other states. Tell Governor Kemp and state legislators to expand Medicaid now.

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Need information about Georgia Medicaid? GHF has you covered!

As thousands of Georgians lose their jobs each week, many are also losing their health coverage. Some may qualify for Medicaid as a result. If you, your loved ones, or your patients or clients need information about how to qualify, enroll, and use Medicaid, GHF has the information and resources to get you started:

• Affordable Health Care for Your Children: This fact sheet is written for parents and provides information about the coverage options available to their children.
• For Uninsured Parents: Because parents need health care too, this fact sheet helps parents understand how they can access health care services or find coverage. (The information is also applicable to any uninsured adult.)
• Medicaid in Georgia: Part of GHF’s Get Enrolled. Stay Enrolled toolkit, this fact sheet is meant for individuals and families who may be eligible for Medicaid. It tells you how to apply, what happens after you apply, how to find a doctor, and what health services are covered by Medicaid.
• Medicaid Income Guidelines for Parents, Caregivers, and Kids: Developed for social workers, nurses, counselors, and other professionals who help people meet their basic needs, this fact sheet lays out the income eligibility guidelines for Medicaid for Georgia children and parent/caregivers. Find out if your patients and clients may qualify for coverage.

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Medicaid Matters: Coverage saves lives

Queenesther is the mother of five children living in Albany, GA. She and her children, all under the age of 10, receive health care coverage and care through Medicaid. Last year, Queenesther underwent surgery to remove an ectopic pregnancy that was causing severe health issues and could have been fatal.

“Had it not been for Medicaid I wouldn’t have been able to get it removed and who knows what would have happened,” she said, reflecting on the importance of Medicaid for herself and her family. 

Queenesther is fortunate to have Medicaid coverage because Georgia makes it very difficult for parents to qualify. Read more of Queenesther’s story on our blog or in GHF’s Medicaid storybook, Medicaid Matters to Georgia.

Your story is powerful. Share it with us! Stories put a face to health care issues in Georgia and inform state leaders about what their constituents need as they make policy decisions. When you share your story, you help others understand the issue and you influence how our state responds to this unprecedented moment.