Study: Medicaid dominated federal grants to Georgia early in pandemic

ATLANTA — Medicaid accounted for the largest share of federal grant funding to Georgia during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, with COVID-19 aid a close second, according to a new study.

The report from The Pew Charitable Trusts found that 37% of the federal grants that went to Georgia during Fiscal 2020 were to support the joint state-federal Medicaid program. Another 5% came in the form of other federal aid for health care.

COVID-19 assistance accounted for 31% of Georgia’s federal grants.

More than 40 states had a similar experience, with COVID-19 grants second only to federal Medicaid assistance.

Overall, the report found a 37% increase in federal grants to states during the early months of the pandemic compared to Fiscal 2019, the largest jump in federal aid since 2009, when Congress approved a massive stimulus package to jolt the U.S. economy out of the Great Recession.

Georgia and Hawaii were tied for 10th-lowest among the states in the share of federal grant dollars going to Medicaid in Fiscal 2020. The scale ranged from a low of 12% for Wyoming to 60% for New York and Kentucky, according to the study.

Georgia’s Medicaid program has been a bone of contention between Republicans and Democrats. GOP Gov. Brian Kemp submitted a proposal to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last year for a limited expansion of Medicaid, which was approved by the Trump administration.

However, the incoming Biden administration put that plan on hold over concerns it would include a work requirement for Medicaid recipients.

Georgia Democrats are calling for a full-blown Medicaid expansion that would cover more low-income Georgians. All but 12 states have fully expanded Medicaid.

The Build Back Better bill now before the U.S. Senate would allow people in states that have not approved a full Medicaid expansion to purchase subsidized coverage. However, opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is threatening to kill the legislation.

Photo: Beau Evans