The PeachCare for Kids program would ask families with children ages 6 and up to pay co-payments ranging from 65 cents to $25 under a plan reviewed Thursday by the state Board of Community Health.
The co-payment amounts were slightly tweaked from a plan submitted for public comment in July. The plan also would increase co-payments already required for some Medicaid recipients.
The PeachCare for Kids plan has never required co-pays. Families with children ages 6 and older pay premiums for the coverage. PeachCare covers children who do not qualify for Medicaid and come from families with incomes up to 235 percent of the federal poverty level.
The new co-pays are being implemented to ease the pressure on the state budget and could save about $3.4 million this fiscal year if implemented on Nov. 1. Advocates said the co-pays might discourage people from seeking care.
Some doctors said simply having change available to handle a co-pay for a typical doctor visit -- $2.45 -- would be a burden. The state subtracts the amount of the co-payment when reimbursing a provider regardless of whether the patient paid the fee. That could mean lower overall payments for doctors on top of provider cuts already implemented by the state this year.
"If a mother brings in a sick child, we're going to see that patient whether or not they have the co-payment -- that winds up being a cut to our practice," said Dr. Kathryn K. Cheek, president of the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatricians.
The Department of Community Health will take comments on the proposal at a public hearing Sept. 27 and in writing through Sept. 30.
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