Georgia Senate Bill SB360

Georgia 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/25/25
• Refer: 3/27/25

Caption

Public Assistance; public option buy-in program to provide healthcare coverage to individuals not eligible for Medicaid coverage; provide

Summary

SB 360 would create a new “Public Option Buy-In Program” within Georgia’s public assistance laws, administered by the Department of Community Health. The program is intended to provide health coverage to people who are not eligible for Medicaid and who cannot obtain coverage through an exchange, with an additional fallback category if federal ACA subsidies and extended tax credits are not funded by Congress. The bill defines key terms such as “eligible person,” “exchange,” “Medicaid,” and “public option buy-in program,” and directs the department to establish and implement the program. Under the bill, the public option would have to meet at least the same standards and provide at least the same benefits and coverage levels as Medicaid care management organizations. Eligible residents would pay a cost equal to the amount the state pays per capita to Medicaid care management organizations. The bill also requires the department, when it seeks bids from Medicaid managed care organizations, to require bidders to also bid on administering the public option program and to prioritize proposals that align provider networks between the two programs. The department would be authorized to seek any necessary federal Medicaid state plan amendments or waivers and to adopt rules to carry out the program.

Impact

SB 360 would amend Chapter 4 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated by adding a new article governing a state-run health coverage buy-in option. If enacted, it would expand the Department of Community Health’s responsibilities, create a new coverage pathway for uninsured or exchange-ineligible residents, and potentially affect Medicaid contracting and managed care procurement by tying public option bidding to Medicaid vendor selection. It could also require state-federal coordination through waiver or state plan amendment requests, and it would interact with existing Medicaid and PeachCare-related statutory definitions.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed in a policy-expansion posture focused on increasing access to health coverage. The overall tone is supportive of creating a state-administered coverage option for residents who fall outside Medicaid and exchange eligibility. Because no transcripts or vote history are provided, there is no documented public sentiment from committee discussion or floor action in the supplied record.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the creation of a state public option, the requirement that Medicaid managed care bidders also bid on the new program, and the use of Medicaid per-capita spending as the pricing benchmark. Supporters would likely view the bill as a coverage expansion for uninsured Georgians, while critics may question cost, administrative complexity, provider network effects, and whether the state should create a parallel public coverage program. The bill also depends on federal approval for any needed waivers or state plan amendments, which could be a practical obstacle.