by Alander Rocha, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]
August 13, 2026
Georgia health officials moved to include low-income people living with certain HIV diagnoses among those considered “medically frail,” meaning they would not have to satisfy work requirements to qualify for Medicaid coverage.
HIV had initially been left off the list, which sparked concern from advocates who said they were puzzled by the decision.
At a Tuesday meeting, the Board of Community Health revised the list before unanimously approving it. The policy is aimed at aligning Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage, a partial Medicaid-expansion with work requirement components, with new federal changes to Medicaid eligibility that were included in President Donald Trump’s tax break and spending cuts package that passed last year.
Under the policy approved Thursday, patients living with HIV that leads to malignant cancer would be automatically granted an exemption to work requirements. People living with general or asymptomatic HIV, as well as the rarely occurring HIV Type 2, could be exempt from work requirements on a case-by-case basis.
Under Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidance released in June, able-bodied adults must complete 80 hours of work, community service or education per month to keep their healthcare coverage, something that is already required in Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program. In that federal guidance, HIV/AIDS alongside cancer, end-stage renal disease and sickle cell disease were listed as potential examples of medical conditions that states could consider including.
Georgia is the state with the highest rate of new HIV infections in the nation, with about 2,400 newly diagnosed HIV cases in 2024.
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