By Guest Columnist BOBBY JONES, president, Georgia market, CareSource
Medicaid in Georgia, which provides healthcare to approximately 1.8 million low income and disabled residents, is the second largest line item in the state’s budget for fiscal year 2018, which ends June 30.
CareSource launched July 1, 2017 as Georgia’s first and only nonprofit managed care organization serving the Medicaid population. We are much more than simply a healthcare organization. The CareSource philosophy, and our proven approach over the past 29 years, is deeply rooted in helping to address the “social determinants of health” for our members.
Simply put, these are the societal conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, which studies have demonstrated have a significant impact on overall health. Think socioeconomic status, physical environment, education, employment, support networks, and access to healthcare.
For many Georgians who rely on Medicaid, healthcare is just one piece of the puzzle. In fact, for many Medicaid members, the real challenges to everyday life come in the form of ordinary obstacles that are second thoughts to most of us.
Health disparities are closely interconnected with social, economic, and environmental disadvantage. For Medicaid members who are not battling chronic conditions, issues with affordable housing, education, job training, and finding steady employment can be nearly impossible barriers to overcome. In that case, healthcare needs often fall to the bottom of the list of priorities.
By removing many real-life obstacles, and by closely addressing the social determinants of health, basic healthcare needs and the management of preventable chronic diseases can be addressed, and positive outcomes can be achieved.
As an example, our Life Services department offers one-on-one coaching to help remove obstacles to self-sufficiency. These can include assisting Medicaid members with sourcing reliable transportation, continuing their education or getting their GED, finding affordable child care, and putting healthy, nutritious food on the table, to name a few.
In an effort to find more steady employment for our members, CareSource also offers a JobConnect program as part of our Life Services department, which teaches marketable skills and offers job training to our members. It may be as simple as preparing a member for a job interview and helping them with job placement or helping with household budgeting.
How can Georgia create an environment where we can focus on the social determinants of health for vulnerable populations in the state?
There is no doubt that Medicaid remains a complex issue in Georgia. However, a public and private sector effort is needed to empower Medicaid recipients to alleviate the financial burden of Medicaid in Georgia.
We are fortunate to operate in Georgia, which consistently ranks as a top state for business. We continue to develop partnerships with employers and organizations across Georgia to connect our members to resources and opportunities.
As a state, we significantly invest in things like infrastructure, trade, and generating a climate that attracts business growth. It is time that we also make an investment in creating an atmosphere where we can address the social determinants of health.
If large and small companies across Georgia make an investment in employing Medicaid members, they can continue to a path of self-sufficiency and independence.
CareSource has also made a commitment to Georgia in terms of our presence in communities throughout the state, especially here in Atlanta. We operate a southern regional headquarters in the Atlanta Galleria area, which is the only headquarters outside of our corporate offices in Dayton, Ohio.
Since we began operating in Georgia, we have had a specific focus on ending hunger and food insecurity in Georgia, which is home to a large number of food deserts. Poor eating habits can lead to chronic health conditions and increasing access to healthy foods is a challenge that we faced head-on in 2017, and which we continue this year.
Last year alone, CareSource coordinated several food distribution events with organizations such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank. In November, we celebrated a Days of Caring initiative where we gave away six $10,000 grants to six food bank organizations from Atlanta to Valdosta.
By focusing on eradicating hunger and food insecurity, we will have helped increase health equity in Georgia, and decrease the second largest expense in the state budget. The money saved in transitioning Medicaid members into an independent life stage will pay dividends in a healthier and more productive state.
