Georgia Medicaid: What You Need to Know

Eligibility Team
Researcher & Writer
November 09, 2017

Getting Medicaid is a priority for every family. The process is simple and quick provided that you are eligible for the program. There are strict guidelines that the government must adhere to when qualifying people for the program.

Medicaid Eligibility in Georgia

When you are applying for Medicaid you should first decide if you are going to fall within the criteria for eligibility. Every state will have their own guidelines that may vary to some degree; Georgia criteria is pretty simple and straight-forward. First you:

  1. Need to be a legal citizen of the United States or an immigrant that has the legal right to live in the country.
  2. You also, of course, need to reside in the state of Georgia.
  3. You must meet all age, medical, and income guidelines for the program.
  4. Anyone that is disabled or elderly must meet age or medical prerequisites along with the income requirements for the program.
  5. For women that are pregnant, you must have your pregnancy verified by a healthcare provider.

There are certain groups that are automatically found to be eligible for the program, such as young children between the ages of 0 and 18 years. Any individual that receives SSI or Supplemental Security Income is also eligible. To read more about the eligibility requirements you can go here. There is a small questionnaire that will quickly help you determine if you are eligible for the Medicaid program that can be found here.

Once you have determined that you are eligible for the program your next step will be to apply. You will want to sign up for a Georgia Gateway account. Once you have done that you can then log in and begin the application process.

What Does Medicaid Cover in Georgia?

Georgia’s Medicaid program coverage will be sent to anyone that applies to the program. The main body of the coverage is:

  • Dental Care for members until they reach the age of 22
  • Nursing home care
  • Home Health Care
  • X-Rays
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Lab tests
  • Doctors’ visits
  • Inpatient and outpatient hospital care
  • Emergency room visits

The income guidelines for eligibility will vary depending upon the number of people that are living in the household at the time. For a family of 4, you must earn less than $60,021 per year. You can view the full list of income guidelines for the number of people that you have in your household.

How Much Does Medicaid Cost in Georgia?

The cost of Medicaid coverage will vary from one person to the next. Everything will depend on your income. If you are qualified as a low-income family then the program will cost you nothing at all. While there are others that can receive Medicaid but may have to pay certain things such as deductibles and co-pays when they visit their doctors or pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy. You may even need to pay a monthly premium in order to get the Medicaid coverage that you need for you or your family.

Are Prescription Drugs Covered by Medicaid in Georgia?

The Georgia Medicaid program has a prescription plan that will allow you to easily and affordably get the prescriptions that you need in order to maintain your health. There are some drugs that may not be covered under the plan so be sure to verify coverage to see if you need to file for special approval. If you wish to learn more about everything that the prescription plan with Medicaid offers you can check out the entire program for yourself to see how everything works.

Which Medicaid Plan Would Be Best in Georgia?

When it comes to the part where you need to choose a plan for your Medicaid, Georgia has four that you can choose from; Amerigroup Real Solutions, CareSource, Peach State Health Plan, and WellCare. Each of these programs has some similarities and some differences in what they will cover and provide for their patients. They even offer a rewards program that offers different things for their customers. If you want to see full details on everything that these four plans will offer you, you can view all of that here.

Eligibility Team
Written by
Eligibility Team
We are a team of experts dedicated to finding the right government programs for you. Our mission is simple: help people quickly and easily understand which programs they might be eligible for—all in one place. Our team is dedicated to researching and providing you with the most relevant information. We compile only the most trusted information from government sources into one place so you can find the facts you need and skip what you don’t.
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