ATLANTA – State Representative Penny Houston (R-Nashville) seeks to raise awareness of Georgia Pathways to Coverage, a new program aimed to help low-income Georgians qualify for Medicaid. Georgia Pathways covers many of the same medical services as Medicaid, including doctor visits, hospital stays and emergency services, prescriptions, labs and x-rays, family planning services, mental health treatment, preventative/wellness services and chronic disease management.
“The Georgia Pathways program recognizes the thousands of hard-working Georgians who fall through the cracks of traditional Medicaid,” said Rep. Houston. “This innovative approach will be highly beneficial to low-income individuals who are bettering themselves or preparing for the workforce, whether that’s through college, job training programs or community service. This could also fill a gap for workers who may not receive insurance through their current employer.”
Administered by the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), Georgia Pathways provides Medicaid to Georgians ages 19-64 who have a household income of up to 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid and meet the qualifying activities threshold.
This program specifically seeks to support low-income Georgians who are currently in the workforce or are seeking to become employed. To be eligible for Georgia Pathways, you must perform one or more qualifying activities for a total of 80 hours each month. Qualifying activities may include full-time or part-time employment, higher education, on-the-job training or job readiness programs, community service, vocational educational training and more.
The application process launched on July 1, 2023. To apply online, please visit https://gateway.ga.gov/access/. Residents can also apply via mail or in person at their local Division of Family and Children Services office. Initial applications may also be submitted via phone at 1-877-423-4746 or 711 for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or have difficulty speaking.
In 2019, the Georgia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 106, which was Governor Brian Kemp’s initiative to authorize DCH to submit a 1115 waiver application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to create a new category of Medicaid eligibility for Georgians.
To learn more about Georgia Pathways, please visit https://dch.georgia.gov/georgiapathways.
Representative Penny Houston represents the citizens of District 170, which includes Berrien County and portions of Cook and Tift counties. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1997 and currently serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development. She also serves on the Banks & Banking, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Economic Development & Tourism and Public Health committees.
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