Atlanta

37,000 Georgians left without insurance as state takes over Friday Health Plans

ATLANTA — A state takeover of a Georgia insurance provider is leaving tens of thousands of policyholders searching for new policies.

Some veteran insurance brokers told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot they’ve never seen this kind of state takeover before.

Some 37,000 Friday Health Plan policyholders across Georgia now have until July 31 to find new health insurance or they’ll lose coverage, but the state is trying to help.

The word came down Wednesday evening from Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King’s office of a state takeover of Friday Health Plans of Georgia.

“Friday Health Plans will be placed into receivership to protect Georgia policyholders due to reported insolvency and inability to raise additional funds,” the insurance commissioner’s office said. “Continued operation of Friday Health Plans was not possible without putting policyholders at risk, so we are acting to protect them.”

Kathy Workman is a Peachtree City insurance broker with 23 years’ of experience in the industry.

She told Elliot that she’s never seen a state takeover of an insurance provider like this.

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“When Friday Health Care came into the state of Georgia in 2022, they were doing a lot of marketing. The plans sounded really good,” Workman said. “To see this is concerning to be sure.”

Out of nearly 846,000 Georgians enrolled in Affordable Care Act insurance plans, 37,000 are enrolled with Friday Health Plans.

The insurance commissioner opened a special enrollment period and established a micro-website to help those people get new health care before the July 31 cut-off.

After that, they’ll lose coverage.

Workman said her network of agents began hearing rumbles of problems with Friday Health Plans last month.

She’s taken to social media to urge those policyholders to change now and not wait.

“Today is the day, is the day. Its special enrollment period is opening up today. They have until July 31 to make a change. August 1, Friday Health Care plans are terminated,” Workman posted.

Right now, even with the state takeover, it doesn’t appear taxpayers are on the hook for any of this.

Elliot contacted Friday Health Plans for comment on this story. So far, he has not heard back from them.

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