Main Points

• In the southeast, Georgia is the fastest growing state and its residents are the fastest aging population in the southeast.
  
• Healthcare costs are escalating.
  
• Access to vital services is declining.
  
• This model cannot be sustained.
  
• Adequate funding is needed.
  
• Medicaid funding shortfalls exacerbate the problem statewide.
  
• Proposed state Medicaid rate increases are an important first step but serious short falls remain.
  
• For every 1/3 contributed by the state in Medicaid funding, the federal government contributes 2/3.
  
• Increased state contributions = increased federal contributions.