By Shaunteri Skinner
A local organization is fighting to expand insurance coverage for those who need it most. Athens For Everyone will start its Medicaid expansion campaign today in a meeting at 6 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library. The public is invited to attend.
Over 600,000 Georgians do not have health insurance, and state lawmakers continue to reject the federally funded Medicaid expansion. Athens for Everyone strongly opposes this decision by the Georgia Republican leadership.
“They’re playing politics with the lives of Georgians who literally have no other options,” said Adam Lassila, Athens For Everyone campaign coordinator. “It’s time for the Georgia Legislature to start doing what’s right and what makes obvious policy sense by accepting the $40 billion in federal funding to expand Medicaid and ensure that Georgians get the health care they need. No one should find it impossible to access life-sustaining health care in a society as advanced as ours.”
The organization said it will push hard for the expansion once the Georgia Legislature’s 2016 session begins in January. But it will not wait that long, however, when at least 10 Georgians are dying every week because they lack insurance, according to the organization’s website.
What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a medical assistance program that helps many people who can’t afford medical care pay for some or all of their medical bills. It is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Health and pays medical bills with state and federal tax money.
Basic Medicaid eligibility criteria:
- You think you are pregnant
- You are 65 or older
- You have a disability
- You are a child or teenager
- You are legally blind
- You need a nursing home
These details and additional information on the financial breakdown of Medicaid are provided by the Georgia Department of Community Health.
