This two-part series by health care reporter Misty Williams explores how hundreds of thousands of Georgians are being left behind by the Affordable Care Act and the state’s decision not to expand Medicaid. Williams found that more than 400,000 of the state’s poorest, most vulnerable citizens fall into a so-called coverage gap. They make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but too little to get federal tax credits to help buy coverage on the health insurance marketplace. Williams demonstrates this gaping divide with key statistics culled from federal and state data, in-depth studies of the law and interviews with top national and state health policy experts. Part one of the series tells the personal stories of those trapped in the coverage gap. Part two delves into what Georgia’s rejection of Medicaid expansion means for the state’s economy and its future. Williams found that Georgia is turning away more than $30 billion in new federal funding and forgoing the creation of 70,000 jobs among other findings.
