Since last October, more than 139,000 Georgians have enrolled in health insurance through the health exchange created by the Affordable Care Act. While political rhetoric surrounding health reform remains charged, the reality is that hundreds of Georgians gain coverage each day. By the end of open enrollment on March 31, we will have put a dent in our uninsured.
If you are like most Georgians, you probably already have health insurance. You may have a plan through your job or, if you’re retired, you likely have Medicare. If you have young school-age children, some of their classmates are probably covered through Medicaid or Peachcare for Kids.
While this patchwork system has worked for most Georgians, too many had been left out too long. Most of us know someone uninsured. Perhaps it is a neighbor who lost his job and its insurance. Or a young college graduate who pieces together part-time work. Or a friend with a heart condition who couldn’t find an insurance company to sell him a policy.
By 2012, nearly one in five Georgians were uninsured. Many of them now have options. That is something to celebrate.
Georgia’s insurance market is changing. Companies cannot deny coverage or charge more because of a pre-existing condition. Tax credits are available to level the playing field with counterparts who get health benefits on a pre-tax basis and with an employer contribution. Even if you don’t have employee health insurance, there may be a private health plan that meets your needs.
Georgians for a Healthy Future, through our Connecting Georgians to Coverage initiative, is part of a consortium of nonprofit organizations that provides education and enrollment assistance. Four years ago, when a consumer with a pre-existing condition called our office, there was little we could do. Today, we can refer him or her to a health insurance navigator who can help them enroll through the health exchange.
Unfortunately, we often encounter consumers who fall into the “coverage gap.” The health care law expanded Medicaid by opening it up to our lowest-income citizens, while authorizing tax credits for the purchase of private health insurance for individuals and families with moderate to middle incomes.
The 2012 Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act rendered Medicaid expansion optional for states. Georgia lawmakers chose not to expand it. As a result, roughly half a million Georgians fall into this coverage gap, making too little to qualify for tax credits in the exchange but still ineligible for Medicaid.
The federal dollars are on the table for Georgia to open up this option. The need is strong. What’s missing is the political will.
Cindy Zeldin is executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future.
