The Republican-dominated U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget resolution on Feb. 25, 2025 that takes up to $880 billion from the Medicaid program over 10 years, and experts warn the cuts could affect young people in the foster program.
According to a study released by the Century Foundation, the ones affected most are those preparing to transition out of the system.
The study concludes that “significant cuts to Medicaid will make the transition to adulthood even harder for foster youth as they enter adulthood without the safety net and support system most young adults have. Without consistent health care coverage, they are at greater risk of untreated medical and mental health conditions.”
The Affordable Care Act of 2010, or Obama Care, mandates that insurance companies offer coverage for young people on their parents’ plans all the way to age 26; however, those provisions do not exist with Medicare and Medicaid.
Once the child reaches 18, he or she is no longer automatically entitled to the health coverage. Currently, there are programs to help ease the transition, but the Century study found that many of those programs are set to be cut or pared down extensively. Since most foster care graduates only have a high-school education, the study found that it would be necessary for them to work two jobs to cover that extra cost.
The study reports that, due to family history and the fact that many kids are forced to move as often as twice per year, around 80% of this population suffers from mental health challenges. Young people with foster system experience have post-traumatic stress disorder rates (PTSD) on par with war veterans.
Currently, there are 10,504 foster children living in Georgia, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Dr. Rob Scheer, founder and CEO of Comfort Cases, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing hope and dignity to youth in foster care says having United as the official insurer raises many red flags, and he fears many kids will not get the appropriate mental health care as the insurer applies the federal cuts.
“I see far too many children still treated as afterthoughts in the systems meant to protect them. Georgia’s recent decision to shift the state’s foster care Medicaid contract to a provider with a deeply troubling record risks making that treatment worse,” Scheer said.
Meanwhile, as the cuts trickle down, the state of Georgia has rebid its services to a company called United Healthcare. Critics claim that the insurer is accused of denying claims for mental health care and autism therapy.
United is currently a defendant in a Medicare fraud trial in Georgia, and its billing practices have fallen under federal scrutiny.
“This is not about politics. It’s about priorities. And there is no greater priority than the children we’ve pledged to protect. Families may lose access to trusted providers they’ve worked with for years. And in many rural areas, network gaps could mean long drives—or no options at all—for basic care,” Scheer said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter, Editorial Page Editor and weekly columnist for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
