Another event that’s moved online is the signature event for Georgians for a Healthy Future, Health Care Unscrambled, where experts, advocates and policymakers get together to talk about public health policy,…
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Tag: ACA

Both of Governor Kemp’s health care proposals were approved by federal health officials in the last two weeks. Unfortunately, both proposals fall short of the bold, evidence-based action that Georgians need their state leaders to take. These plans may impact you or people you know. While some details of the plans are still being sorted out, we have tried to answer some of your early questions here. As we learn more and these plans roll out, GHF will keep you updated with the information you need to get covered, stay covered, and help your loved ones do the same.
(more…)Despite repeated claims otherwise, Georgia’s health insurance marketplace has proven to be resilient for consumers in our state. GHF examined the data about Georgia’s 2020 marketplace for our annual Getting Georgia Covered report. We found rising enrollment, lower premiums, and increased choices for consumers. This annual release tells the story of how Georgia individuals and families are faring in the health insurance marketplace. Explore the new interactive digital report to find out more about Georgia’s 2020 marketplace, how it differed from previous years, the Georgians who enrolled and costs of plans, and policy opportunities to increase enrollment, ensure access to care, address affordability, and protect consumers.
Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced the approval of Georgia’s 1332 State Innovation waiver, title “Georgia Access”. Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future has issued the following statement:
“Despite repeated attempts, Governor Kemp’s Georgia Access proposal still fails to explain how a shutdown of the most popular and streamlined health insurance enrollment platform in order to move to a decentralized, privatized enrollment system will address the challenges faced by Georgia consumers, especially those who remain uninsured.
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Healthcare.gov is open for business from November 1 to December 15, 2020. Georgians can now shop for comprehensive, affordable health plans and enroll in coverage. Nine out of 10 Georgians qualify for financial help to lower their premiums and other costs! Make sure that you are covered in 2021!
Most Georgians who qualify for health insurance & financial help through the Affordable Care Act (also called “Obamacare”) are still uninsured. If you or people you know need more information about how health insurance works, how to enroll in coverage, or what to do after you have signed up, we have you covered! Check out and share these tools so you and your networks can get covered and stay covered:
This year, no Georgian has been left untouched by the health or economic impacts of COVID-19. America’s failure to control the pandemic has spotlighted the importance of public policy decisions that prioritize health and wellness. The consequences of underfunding essential public health infrastructure and Medicaid, and the disparate impact that public policies have no Black Americans and other people of color is clear. National, state, and local leaders, many elected by the public, are responsible for the policy decisions made ahead of and in response to COVID-19, its economic fallout, and the movement for racial justice.
This election season (October 12 to November 3, 2020), Georgians have the opportunity to learn more about these elected positions, the decision-making power each has, and how those positions impact their health and the well-being of Georgians. This year, Georgians will cast their votes for the U.S. President, members of U.S. Congress, state legislators, state supreme court judges, and other positions.

In this blog, we cover the U.S. President’s impact on the health and well-being of Georgians and their families.
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This year, no Georgian has been left untouched by the health or economic impacts of COVID-19. America’s singular failure to control the pandemic has spotlighted the importance of public policy decisions that prioritize health and wellness. The consequences of underfunding essential public health infrastructure and Medicaid, and the disparate impact that public policies have no Black Americans and other people of color is clear. National, state, and local leaders, many elected by the public, are responsible for the policy decisions made ahead of and in response to COVID-19, its economic fallout, and the movement for racial justice.
Ahead of the 2020 election season (October to November 3, 2020), Georgians have the opportunity to learn more about these elected positions, the decision-making power each has, and how those positions impact their health and the well-being of Georgians. This year, Georgians will cast their votes for the U.S. President, members of U.S. Congress, state legislators, state supreme court judges, and other positions.
As Georgia candidates on this fall’s ballot crisscross the state or their districts asking for support, voters will consider their positions on a number of important issues including health care. To help voters make their decisions, we put together this list of questions for voters to ask of candidates about five timely and pressing consumer health care issues. These questions can be used at town halls and candidate forums or posed to candidates via social media or in one-on-one conversations.
(more…)On July 9, 2020, Georgia’s Governor announced that his administration had revised his 1332 private insurance proposal. The new proposal consists of two parts:
- A reinsurance program to lower premiums; and
- The Georgia Access model—which would separate Georgia from healthcare.gov but would not replace it, instead directing consumers to insurers and web brokers to shop and enroll in coverage.
After a 15-day public comment period during which more than 600 comments were received from the public, Georgia’s Department of Community Health made no changes and submitted the proposal to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for their review on July 31.
CMS deemed the waiver application complete on August 17. The designation began a 30-day public comment period, allowing Georgians, health advocates, and any other interested party to weigh in on the revised proposal. Because of technical difficulties with the comment submission link, the comment period was extended another seven days to September 23, 2020.
More than 1800 individuals and organizations commented during this time, including GHF. You can read GHF’s full comment letter here.

This year, no Georgian has been left untouched by the health or economic impacts of COVID-19. America’s singular failure to control the pandemic has spotlighted the importance of public policy decisions that prioritize the health and wellness of populations, the consequences of underfunding essential public infrastructure (like departments of public health), and the disparate impact that public policies have had on Black Americans and other people of color. National, state, and local leaders, many elected by the public, are responsible for the policy decisions made ahead of and in response to COVID-19, its economic fallout, and the movement for racial justice.
Ahead of the 2020 election season (October to November 3, 2020), Georgians have the opportunity to learn more about these elected positions, the decision-making power each has, and how those positions impact their health and the well-being of Georgians. This year, Georgians will cast their votes for the U.S. President, members of U.S. Congress, state legislators, state supreme court judges, and other positions. Voters’ decisions about the candidates in each race will have an unprecedented impact on consumers health issues in Georgia as we continue to battle through the current health crisis.
In this blog, we cover the U.S. Congress’s impact on the health and well-being of Georgians and their families. To jump to a specific section, click these links:
- About U.S. Congress
- The U.S. budget—including what gets passed along to states like Georgia
- Congress passes laws that impact Georgia
- Senate’s power to approve public appointments has direct consequences for Georgia
- This year’s election
On July 9, 2020, Georgia’s Governor announced that the state was re-opening the public comment period on his 1332 private insurance proposal. The proposal was considerably revised since it was last considered in February of this year. The new plan still consists of two parts:
- A reinsurance program to lower premiums; and
- The Georgia Access model—which would separate Georgia from healthcare.gov but would not replace it, instead directing consumers to insurers and web brokers to shop and enroll in coverage.
Other provisions of the previously proposed Georgia Access model were dropped (cap on financial assistance, new kinds of health plans, etc.).
The Governor’s announcement began a 15-day public comment period on the new proposal, allowing Georgians, health advocates, and other interested parties to weigh in. Along with more than 600 others, GHF submitted comments to communicating our deep concerns about the plan’s continued shortcomings. You can read GHF’s full comments here.

More than 1 million Georgians have lost their health coverage due to job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. If this is your situation, you can keep yourself and your family covered during this health crisis.
You have three main pathways to coverage:
- Affordable Care Act
- With financial assistance—half of Georgians who lose their insurance will qualify for ACA coverage with financial help to lower the premium they pay each month. In some cases, you may see lower deductibles & co-pays too.
- Without financial assistance—some Georgians, despite a job loss, will still make too much for financial help but you should still shop for coverage to see if there’s a plan that fits your new budget.
- Medicaid & PeachCare for Kids—About 25% of Georgians losing their health coverage may qualify for Medicaid. Georgians most likely to qualify for Medicaid coverage include children, low-income pregnant women, and very low-income parents. Other Georgians who qualify for Medicaid are people with disabilities, seniors, and low-income women with breast or cervical cancer.
- COBRA—in most cases, you will be able to find less expensive coverage from the ACA marketplace. COBRA may be the best option for you if it is important that you maintain a consistent provider (pregnant women, people with chronic or complex conditions).
Some Georgians who have lost their health coverage due to job loss will fall in Georgia’s coverage gap because the state has not expanded Medicaid. That means they can’t get financial help through the ACA and they also don’t qualify for Medicaid.
If you are in the coverage gap because you lost your job, please read the If you are uninsured section (click to go directly there). Then contact Georgians for a Healthy Future at 404-567-5016 x 4 to learn how you can share your story and help fix the problem!
Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage
You may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period up to 60 days after losing your job-based health insurance. You only qualify for coverage for 60 days after you lose your health coverage, so shop and enroll as soon as possible. Visit healthcare.gov to shop and enroll.
Financial assistance is available!
When you begin the shopping/enrollment process, healthcare.gov will ask you about your estimated income for 2020. With that information healthcare.gov will let you know if you qualify for financial help to lower your premiums and other costs. Most Georgians qualify for financial help!
When you estimate your income, include the money you made from your job before you were laid off, any unemployment checks that you expect to receive, and any money that you expect to make from getting re-hired/a new job later in the year. Do not count your stimulus check as income!

For free help with the enrollment process, contact Insure Georgia at insurega.org or 866-988-8246.
Coverage through the ACA marketplace covers testing for COVID-19. It will also cover part or all of the costs related to COVID-19 treatment. Contact your insurance company for more information.
Medicaid & PeachCare for Kids
You can enroll yourself, your family, or your children in Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids at any time, if you qualify. Enroll at gateway.ga.gov.

Children are most likely to quality for Medicaid and PeachCare. Pregnant women and some parents may be eligible for Medicaid coverage depending on your monthly income. (The amount of unemployment you get from Georgia counts as income but the additional $600 per week from the federal government does not.)
Click here to see if you can qualify as a parent and to see if your kids qualify. If you are pregnant, you must make less than these amounts to qualify for Medicaid:

Medicaid is required to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment for free. In addition, you do not have to pay any Medicaid or PeachCare premiums or co-pays during the COVID-19 national emergency.
If you have or enroll in Medicaid coverage, you cannot be disenrolled (kicked off) during the COVID-19 national emergency.
If you have questions about Medicaid and whether you qualify, call the Georgia Division for Family & Children Services at 877-423-4746.
You may also contact Atlanta Legal Aid (find the phone number for your county here) or Georgia Legal Services Program at 1-800-498-9469 with questions or concerns.
If you are uninsured/unable to get health coverage
Do not skip or avoid health care just because you are uninsured! You can get free or low-cost health services at:
- Community Health Centers—find the clinics closest to you here
- Charity Care Clinics—find the clinic closest to you here
- Health care over the phone/online (telehealth)—Giving Health offers free telehealth services to people who are uninsured. Visit givinghealth.org/how-it-works or call 866-662-1923.
- Check with your local hospital to see what financial assistance programs you may qualify for
References & resources
COVID-19 Town Hall PowerPoint slides by Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
Frequently Asked Questions by Center on Budget & Policy Priorities
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