Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirements Costing Taxpayers Millions Despite Low Enrollment

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s plan for a conservative alternative to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion has cost taxpayers at least $26 million so far, with more than 90% going toward administrative and consulting costs rather than medical care for low-income people. Kemp’s Georgia Pathways to Coverage offers government health insurance to people earning up to the federal poverty level — $15,060 for an individual adult — if they can document that they’re working, in school, or performing other qualifying activities. Since July, when the program began, about 3,500 people have signed up, according to state officials. That’s a small fraction of the Georgians who could enroll if the state expanded Medicaid without such requirements.