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Most tax dollars used to launch and implement a single work requirements in the Medicaid country have gone to the payment of administrative costs rather than cover the Georgian medical care, the new report said Office of Government accountabilityA non -partisan agency that tracks federal programs and costs.
The government’s report discussed the administrative expenses of Georgia to coverage, the state experiment with the requirements of the work. Follow Pre -reporting current and propublica Showing that the program cost federal and state taxpayers more than $ 86.9 million while enrolling a tiny share of those who are entitled to free medical assistance.
GAO analysis that does not include all Administrative expenditure ways are reported in detail about the newsshows that as of April, the Georgian program spent $ 54.2 million on administrative costs since 2021, compared to $ 26.1 million spent on healthcare costs. Almost 90% of administrative expenses came from the federal budget, concluded that the Georgian experiment is funded by taxpayers across the country. Federal costs are likely to increase, given that the Medicare and Medicaid Services centers have approved $ 6 million more administrative costs that are not displayed in this report as it was published before the state provided accounts.
The expense agency has repeated criticism of the centers in 2019 for Medicare and Medicaid services for Lack of supervision Administrative expenses related to state initiatives approved in the name of the Medicaid reform.
The GAO report states that Medicaid never requires Georgia to tell the cost and implementation of the program. The process of federal approval for states who want to experiment with their Medicaid systems “does not take into account the degree in which demonstrations will increase administrative costs,” the statement reads.
Governor Georgia Brian Kemp, Republican, promoted ways as an example of how conservative colleagues across the country could over Congress —The republics referred to ways as a model for federal Law on Medicaid’s work requirements It took place in July, which will come into force in 2027. The Georgia Pathways program was scheduled for validity on October 1, but the state asked the federal government to expand the experiment for another five years, which are believed to be approved by the Trump administration in the coming weeks.
Georgia’s program was to expand free medical care in a group previously considered invalid for Medicaid: adults under 65 years of earning less than a federal poverty line of $ 15,650 a year. To get the qualifications, the Georgians had to prove that they work, study or voluntarily at least 80 hours per month.
But enrollment in the Georgian paths remained low. The latest state data shows that 9175 of almost a quarter of a million breast Georgians were enrolled as of August 31. Previous reporting of the current and propublica showed that it was related to the gluckets on the digital platform that people should use for enrollment, chronic insufficient work in the state agency accused of registration, as well as in revenue, as well as because of malfunctions that people should use for enrollment. Registration, and A. maze of bureaucratic red tape.
Georgia representatives used to say the current and propublica that ways never been designed to maximize enrollment. Carter Chapman, the Kemp press, said on Monday that the Kemp administration remains a commitment to ways and refinement to meet the Georgians’ health needs.
In December, democratic senators who are critical of Medicaid’s work, including John Osofo and Raphael Wornak, asked GAO to report the administrative expenses of the ways and check that the recipients are working, studying or voluntarily.
“Administrative costs have exceeded medical care costs (such as health care services) for Georgia Pathways, the report said. “This was probably due to the advance administrative changes necessary for the implementation of the demonstration, the delay of the start of enrollment and any duplication in the administrative costs due to the delay.”
Georgia’s representatives said GAO that the administrative expenses have increased by 20% to 30% due to the two-year delay caused by Baden’s legal battles who tried to stop all Medicaid work programs that were approved before the Democratic President took office in 2021. State officials said the delay was excluded in duplicating some costs, including changes to the ITS system, and other implementation costs. There was no evidence in the report confirming the state’s affirmation.
“This report was demanded by the same persons who do not have new or good ideas to meet the healthcare needs in Georgia,” Chapman said in a statement. “Now that other states are preparing to accept our model and reject one in size-large state medicine, Democrats, such as Senators Osof and Warnok, try to rewrite history after four years of inaction and blame the state of their own stone factory.”
Warnok said Gao’s conclusions strengthen his opposition to the Trump administration to nationalization of the requirements of work from the number of tax dollars that go for costs except for healthcare.
“Now the whole country can see that we already know in Georgia: the Georgia Work Reporting Program is real waste, fraud and abuse,” Warnok said in a statement. “This report shows that ways are incredibly effective when banning workers from health care and make corporate consultants richer.”
Asoph called Georgia Pathways “Boondoggle, who spent tens of millions on expensive consultants, while Georgia’s hospitals are fighting and Georgians are ill without health insurance.”
The GAO report does not include $ 27 million that Deloitte Consulting earned on the market tract Or approximately $ 10 million, which went for additional consultations, including other firms, and legal fees related to the two -year judicial battle of the state with the Biden Administration.
Deloitte did not respond to a comment request. Earlier, the firm refused to answer questions about its works in Georgia, referring to requests to information to the State Health Department. The agency did not respond to the requests for the comments, but previously described Deloitte’s marketing and information work as “reliable” and “comprehensive”.
