A Republican-led program that forced low-income people in Georgia to work in order to qualify for public health insurance saw few people sign up for the program in its initial months, Politico has reported.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp predicted in October 2020 that about 31,000 state residents would enroll in the program during its first year, which began last July. However, initial data shows that during the first four months of the initiative, only 1,800 people enrolled.
Chris Pope, a senior fellow at the conservative think tank the Manhattan Institute, blamed a limited expansion and an overly complicated system for the low numbers.
“With such low enrollment numbers [in Georgia], it does feel a bit like that,” Pope told Politico. “It’s a mountain of paperwork, and it’s burdensome for people who are in a tough spot.”
He added that the program “feels like a political compromise between people who wanted an expansion and people who didn’t want an expansion. And it ended up being a fairly slight expansion.”
Jonathan Ingram, vice president of policy and research at the Foundation for Government Accountability, said, “As so few able-bodied adults are willing to work, train or volunteer even part-time to qualify for the Pathways program, it’s clear that a full expansion would discourage employment for those who can work and risk resources meant for the truly needy — low-income children and people with disabilities.”
Still, some Republicans maintain hope that the program will help reduce the state’s uninsured rate, which is one of the highest in the country.
“I’ve got my fingers crossed it’s going to be a good solution,” said Georgia GOP state Rep. Lee Hawkins, the chair of the House Health Committee. “Getting the word out is always difficult with any new program.”
A spokesperson for the state health department told Politico in a statement: “As with any newly launched program, we expect enrollment to build over time.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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