Federal health officials will investigate delays in processing Medicaid applications, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC).
Since the October 2013 launch of the online marketplace at HealthCare.gov, almost 89,584 applications discovered they could be eligible for Georgia’s Medicaid Program, the AJC reported.
Four months after the March 31 enrollment deadline, 13,543 applicants were informed whether or not they received coverage, according to Pam Keene, spokeswoman for Georgia’s Department of Community Health.
Keene said there is no current target date to finish processing applications but the issue is a priority.
“We are individually processing these files as quickly as possible and comparing applicants through the FFM with people who have also applied for Medicaid directly through the state,” Keene said.
Mikael Sessoms, Georgia State student, said the backlog is discouraging to students who already have reservations.
“I was going to apply but even the lowest plan costs too much. They say it’s affordable, but it’s not. I’ll just stay on my parents’ plan,” Sessoms said.
Keene also said most college students will not have to be concerned with the backlog because of the eligibility requirements.
“Medicaid stops at age 19, unless they are blind, disabled or pregnant,” she said. “So the majority of college students would most likely not meet the eligibility requirements to enroll in Medicaid.”
