Your Medicaid and PeachCare Kids eligibility may have changed

VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - Millions of Georgians’ insurance coverage could possibly be affected now that Georgia departments are reevaluating eligibility for the first time since pausing these checks for the COVID pandemic.

Georgia Departments of Human Services and Community Health will reevaluate eligibility for roughly 2.7 million Georgians from April 2023 to May 2024. This includes those on PeachCare for Kids and Medicaid.

“Anyone who is on Medicaid was automatically renewed every single year, so they didn’t have to go through the annual process of updating their information,” Alysia Cutting, SOWEGA Rising Rural Health Equity Director, said. “Now that the pandemic is officially over, annual recertification has begun again,”

Your contact information must be updated to ensure you receive your redetermination month, as each person has their own individual deadline-- which can be found on your Gateway portal. This should be checked before your next doctor’s visit.

“Healthcare screenings are vital for our health. Not just individually, but as a community as well. So, if people are not aware that their date has come, and potentially already passed, this could be catastrophic for personal health as well as the health of the community,” Cutting said.

It’s already been projected that half a million Georgians could possibly lose their coverage.

Kylie Winton, communications director with DHS, says other plans are in the works to ensure that all members have access to the information they need to stay in charge of their coverage with a campaign.

“Continue to focus on critical information while helping members navigate the Medicaid redetermination process,” Winton said.

If you visit staycovered.ga.gov, there are multiple languages to help everyone avoid a lapse in coverage. Healthcare Insurance is vital— especially in today’s economy.

“My greatest concern is that someone has not updated their contact information, so they never received their recertification information. Which means that they or their child might miss health screenings, or they’ll go to the hospital present for an emergency and realize oh wow— I don’t have insurance,” Cutting said.

DHS will refer members who are no longer eligible after reevaluation to healthcare.gov.

“This is an urgent situation because recertifications have already started,” Cutting said. “When they see their recertification letter in the mail or online, respond to it immediately because time is of the essence.”

Georgia is one of 10 states that has not fully expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

“There will be far fewer uninsured folks as a result of this Medicaid renewal process in the states with Medicaid expansion,” said Laura Colbert, Executive Director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. “Georgia is not one of those, so we will see very large coverage losses.”

However, a new program called Georgia Pathways is accepting applications-- offering Medicaid to those who would not previously qualify.

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