Deric Gilliard's board member GHF fundraising page

Georgians for a Healthy Future has been standing in the gap for hard working families, the vulnerable and those unprepared to navigate the immense challenges of healthcare for 17 years.  Below are some of the organizations most critical issues, which include assisting the mentally and developmentally homeless. https://healthyfuturega.org/ghf_resource/fact-sheet-georgia-housing-voucher-program/ the ongoing battle to expand Medicaid in the state of Georgia  

https://healthyfuturega.org/2025/04/25/stripping-medicaid-to-fund-tax-breaks-medicaid-cuts-could-unravel-health-care-in-georgia/

Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for low-income children and some adults under 65, is essential to the physical and financial health of Georgia families and the state as a whole.  Medicaid covers almost 2 million low-income Georgians (18% of the state’s population), serves as a crucial lifeline for Georgia’s rural hospitals. It also accounted for nearly 20% of the state’s total budget in 2023. 

However, D.C. politicians are currently considering overhauls to Medicaid that would limit the program’s ability to serve Georgians, dramatically reduce its efficiency and effectiveness, and make it more expensive for the state to operate.  

Ultimately,  if Congress cuts Medicaid, Georgia families will pay the price.

Georgia Medicaid by the Numbers

In Georgia, Medicaid covers:

• More than 1.9 million children, older adults, pregnant people, and people with disabilities
• Almost half of all births
• Thousands of seniors in nursing homes and people receiving long-term care
• 40% of babies and kids under 19
• 15% of women of childbearing age

Note: Medicaid demographic data was pulled from this Kaiser Family Foundation Fact Sheet.

Eliminating State-Directed Payments (Pulling the Rug Out From Under Georgia Hospitals)

Another dangerous proposal Congress is considering would restrict or eliminate State Directed Payments (SDPs): a crucial Medicaid tool that Georgia uses to stabilize its hospital systems. SDPs allow our state to require Medicaid insurers to pay providers like hospitals, nursing homes, and physicians at rates that better reflect the real cost of care. These payments help offset the financial strain caused by chronically low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

In Georgia, the GA-AIDE SDP program has been especially important for supporting Grady Health System, the state’s largest Medicaid provider, and redistributing funds to keep rural hospitals afloat. If federal policymakers eliminate SDPs, Georgia’s hospitals could face devastating budget shortfalls,

Georgia’s Health Care Infrastructure is Already Under Strain

Cuts would be especially harmful now, as Georgia’s health infrastructure is already facing  challenges:

• More than 1.2 million Georgians are currently uninsured (Source: Kaiser Family Foundation)
• Thousands of Georgia Pathways applications remain unprocessed due to staffing shortages and system failures (Source: 11Alive).
  • Thousands of additional applications for Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF are also delayed.
• Georgia hospitals provided $2.5 billion in uncompensated care in 2022 (Source: WSBTV)
• Limiting or Eliminating Provider Taxes (Cutting a Critical Lifeline for State Medicaid Funding)

  Almost every state uses provider taxes to fund a significant portion of their Medicaid programs. Provider taxes, paid by hospitals and other health care providers to states, help states draw down billions in federal matching dollars to fund Medicaid services. Limiting or eliminating states’ ability to use these taxes would force Georgia and other states to decrease their Medicaid spending. This would save the federal government money, but Georgia would face serious budget gaps, forcing painful choices. That could mean cutting people off coverage, slashing payments to providers, or gutting essential benefits like nursing home care and services for children with disabilities.

• Please help us stand up for those who need our assistance.