The survey is the Healthcare for Kids Rally's grass roots campaign efforts to raise awareness about the Medicaid Crisis in Georgia prior to the November 7 elections.

 

Summary of Findings

In recent news reports, the Governor's office and the Department of Community Health defended prior authorization requirements for therapy services as being aligned with private health plan practices. The survey study indicates otherwise.

                

More than 75 percent of the medical professionals surveyed said children under their care missed therapy sessions during the month of September due to bureaucratic delays and inappropriate denials of care by the CMOs and the Georgia Department of Community Health.

 

Furthermore, only 22 percent of the providers reported having waiting lists for children covered under private insurance plans where close to 40 percent of providers have waiting lists for children covered by Medicaid.

 

 "I work for an outpatient hospital therapy program. We had to cancel all Katie Beckett and SSI kids [children who are covered by Medicaid because they meet the federal requirements for disability] for a week to do the paperwork necessary for PA [prior authorizations]," wrote one survey respondent.

 

The survey also found that more than 50 percent of therapy professionals said they would not accept new patients whose health coverage is provided through a CMO. "I am a small business owner. After doing the math of the time I have spent on paperwork, I am making less than minimum wage.  If I go out of business, it would put 12 therapists out of a job. We serve a rural area and if I go out of business, there will be no one to serve these patients," wrote another survey respondent.

 

"This survey study clearly shows that cuts in services and increases in bureaucratic paperwork are having a detrimental impact on the lives of children in Georgia," said Heidi Moore, a lead organizer for the Healthcare for Kids Rally. "Georgia's taxpayers need to know that their tax dollars are being wasted on paper pushing and not being spent on the very people for whom these programs are intended to help: our children."

 

Methodology

A web-based methodology was used for this study, using a statewide panel of occupational, speech and physical therapy providers. The survey was conducted from October 10th to October 23rd to assess what impact changes in the Medicaid and PeachCare programs have had on Georgia children's access to greatly needed medical care. More than 140 professionals completed the survey, representing 57 of 164 Georgia counties.

 

The month-long voter education effort will culminate with The Healthcare for Kids Rally at the state capitol on Saturday, November 4th at 9:30am to demonstrate the serious concerns parents and health care professionals are having with the bureaucratic hassles being constructed by state government.