Scalded by watchdogs, Pathways still wins approval from the Trump administration

ATLANTA — A federal agency has approved the extension of Governor Brian Kemp’s homegrown alternative to Medicaid expansion.

Kemp and his allies have touted Pathways as an alternative to expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Pathways users must document employment or other engagement to qualify for subsidized insurance. Under new guidelines, instead of doing it monthly, they’ll have to do it yearly.

“This will … reduce administrative burdens on both beneficiaries and the state,” Kemp said in a news release .

"It also streamlines some administrative barriers by removing monthly reporting," said Leah Chan of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.

But Chan is critical of Kemp’s health insurance program, as are many Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the