Need Mo Money

The state needs more money to continue their Georgia Medicaid program. A LOT of money. Something on the order of $300 million.

The state Department of Community Health plans to ask the state legislature for roughly $308.2 million to make up the gap for fiscal 2013, Vince Harris, the agency’s chief financial officer, told board members.The looming deficit comes at a time when the state health agency is also facing the addition of another 600,000-plus Georgians to its Medicaid rolls starting in 2014, as part of the program’s expansion under the health care law.

Yes, that's right.

We can't pay for current care and Obamacare will force another 600,000 people on to Georgia Medicaid in 2014.

This is on top of the 1.7 million currently on Georgia Medicaid and chewing up $21 million every day in taxpayer funded benefits.

The health care program is also looking at a $90 million deficit for the current fiscal year. That accumulated in large part because the state legislature did not allocate funds for the final month of payments to three for-profit companies that manage care for primarily low-income kids and moms in Medicaid.

The state expects contract help to work for free?

Well, that is one solution.

As long as the contractors don't have a problem with it.

But how about the projected $600 million annual Georgia Medicaid deficit forecast for 2015? Wonder what those single payer fans will say then about how well the system works when the government runs health care?