“If the governor is feeling an urgency to act and get Georgians covered, the quickest and easiest way to do that would be through Medicaid expansion,’’ said Laura Colbert of Georgians for a Healthy Future.

“Any attempt to implement the Pathways waiver without an official thumbs-up from CMS could put Georgia on the hook for 100 percent of the costs. That would add up quickly, likely outstripping the costs of Medicaid expansion while covering many, many fewer Georgians.”

A standard expansion would give Medicaid eligibility to 480,000 to 600,000 people in the state, according to the consumer group Georgians for a Healthy Future. It’s paid for with 90 percent federal funds, higher than the rest of the Medicaid program, which in Georgia is 67 percent federally funded.

“Expanding Medicaid to Georgia workers is a powerful way to thank them for the work they did to keep our state’s economy moving over the last year,” said Laura Colbert, executive director of the nonprofit Georgians for a Healthy Future.

Laura Colbert, executive director of the group Georgians for a Healthy Future, said it’s important to hold the companies accountable, and for the state to be ‘’creative, forward-looking, and progressive when it comes to Medicaid payment and policies.”

“DCH has made meaningful strides in the last several years that give me reason to think it can rise to the occasion and embody all three of these qualities if given support from the governor and legislature,” Colbert said.

It’s important for consumers who enrolled before April 1 to return to healthcare.gov, the call center or their insurance counselor to get the extra financial assistance, Laura Colbert of the advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future said. The enhanced subsidies won’t automatically be applied for these people, she said.

“The high enrollment numbers demonstrate that the Affordable Care Act is an invaluable safety net for consumers during volatile economic times,’’ Colbert said. “It also seems to signal that some consumers need more than a six-week window to navigate the enrollment process, and that promotion, marketing, and consumer assistance during enrollment opportunities really do impact how many people get covered.”