Rise in Medicaid rolls has continuing impact on state budget

Continued growth in Georgia’s Medicaid enrollment accounts for much of the state budget increases that the Department of Community Health is seeking both for fiscal 2017 and 2018.

In addition, the agency said Thursday that it’s starting a payment system next July that will penalize health insurers for not meeting medical quality standard

Medicaid enrollment is projected to increase by 2 percent both this fiscal year and next, Elizabeth Brady, chief financial officer for Community Health, told the agency board Thursday. (Fiscal year 2017 began July 1.)

Brady attributed the enrollment increase largely to changes created by the Affordable Care Act. They include switching eligibility reviews from every six months to annually; and the so-called “woodwork effect,” as the ACA’s insurance exchange sign-up campaign uncovered more people eligible for Medicaid.

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