As Georgia Considers Medicaid Revamp, Patient Advocates Continue Push for Reform

A new, state-commissioned report is making the rounds among health advocates this week.

Hundreds of pages in length, the report lays out Georgia's options to handle the influx of applicants when the federal healthcare law takes effect in 2014.

Over the next few years, nearly 700,000 additional Georgians will be eligible for Medicaid or Peachcare, the state health insurance program for low-income kids.

With state coffers still low due to the sluggish recovery, Georgia health officials commissioned the report to explore ways the state could cuts costs while boosting enrollment.

One recommendation would shift nearly 400,000 Medicaid enrollees from a fee-for-service coverage to managed care, or some type of limited provider network.

Pat Willis of Voices for Georgia's Children is still paging through the massive report, but says that type of shift could pose access issues for those living outside of large cities.

"Given that there's just not as many specialty providers as geographically accessible, that's a huge concern," said Willis.

Willis's organization teamed with the nonprofit Georgians for a Healthy Future to issue its own set of suggestions on a potential redesign.

One would have Medicaid and Peachcare adopt a new electronic record system that would clarify who is eligible and help keep those eligible on the rolls.

Willis says more than 240,000 children in the state are uninsured because of simple enrollment issues. She wants Georgia to adopt best practices from states like Alabama and Louisiana - things like automating some of the application process, and requiring renewals only once a year, as opposed to twice a year.

"We'll want to support ease of enrollment the clarity of understanding who qualifies for what and how you go about enrollment," said Willis.

State health officials are reviewing redesign options until April, and will issue a final recommendation to the Governor later this spring.