ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge ruled that the Biden administration complied with the law when it declined to grant an extension to Georgia's year-old Medicaid plan, which is the only one in the country that has a work requirement for recipients of the publicly funded health coverage for low-income people.
The state didn't comply with federal rules for an extension, so the Biden administration legally rejected its request to extend the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program's expiration date from September 2025 to 2028, U.S. Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ruled Monday.
A spokeswoman for the state attorney general's office referred comment to the governor's office, which didn't immediately respond to an email sent Tuesday.
Georgia Pathways requires all recipients to show that they performed at least 80 hours of work, volunteer activity, schooling or vocational rehabilitation each month. It also limits coverage to able-bodied adults earning no more than the federal poverty line, which is $15,060 for a single person and $31,200 for a family of four.
The Biden administration revoked the work requirement in 2021, but Wood later reinstated it in response to a lawsuit by the state. Georgia sued the administration again in February, arguing that the decision to revoke the work requirement and another aspect of Pathways delayed implementation of the program. That reduced the program's originally approved five-year term to just over two years.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services twice rejected the request to extend Pathways, saying the state had failed to meet requirements for an extension request, including a public notice and comment period. Georgia argued that it was seeking to amend the program, so those requirements should not apply.
In her latest ruling, Wood said the state had indeed made an extension request. She agreed that the Biden administration's decision to revoke parts of Pathways had delayed its implementation, but she said a “prior bad act” did not allow the state to “now skirt the rules and regulations governing time extensions.”
“If Georgia wants to extend the program beyond the September 30, 2025, deadline, it has to follow the rules for obtaining an extension,” she wrote.
Pathways is off to a rocky start. Georgia officials expected it to provide health insurance to 25,000 low-income residents, or possibly tens of thousands more, by now. But enrollment stood at just over 4,300 as of last month.
Critics say the work requirement is too onerous. Supporters say Pathways needs more time.
Judge refuses to extend timeframe for Georgia's new Medicaid plan, only one with work requirement
FILE - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, right, sign healthcare waivers at the state Capitol in Atlanta, Oct. 15, 2020. Pathways to Coverage launched last July and is the only Medicaid plan in the country that requires beneficiaries to work or engage in other activities to get coverage. As of June, it had about 4,300 members. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
Judge refuses to extend timeframe for Georgia's new Medicaid plan, only one with work requirement
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest in France of the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation.
French media reported that Durov was detained at a Paris airport on Saturday on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses. Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
In France’s first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
Denouncing what he called false information circulating about the arrest, he said it “is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
Russian government officials have expressed outrage at Durov’s arrest, with some calling it politically driven and saying it showed the West’s double standard on freedom of speech.
Telegram, which says it has nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother in the wake of the Russian government’s crackdown after mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012.
The demonstrations prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital space, and Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news.
Telegram also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war, and deliver missile and air raid alerts.
In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram’s post said. “Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
A French investigative judge extended Durov’s detention order on Sunday night, French media reported on Monday. Under French law, Durov can remain in custody for questioning for up to four days. After that, judges must decide to either charge him or release him.
The Russian Embassy in Paris said consular officials were denied access to Durov because French authorities view his French citizenship as his primary one. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, "We still don’t know what exactly Durov is being accused of. ... Let’s wait until the charges are announced – if they are announced.''
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who has in the past called himself a “ free speech absolutist," posted "#freePavel” in support of Durov following the arrest.
Western governments have often criticized Telegram for a lack of content moderation, which experts say opens up the messaging platform for potential use in money laundering, drug trafficking and the sharing of material linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.
In 2022, Germany issued fines of $5 million against Telegram's operators for failing to establish a lawful way to reporting illegal content or to name an entity in Germany to receive official communication. Both are required under German laws that regulate large online platforms.
Last year, Brazil temporarily suspended Telegram over its failure to surrender data on neo-Nazi activity related to a police inquiry into school shootings in November.
Barbara Surk in Nice, France, and Daria Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia contributed.
France's Macron says arrest of the head of the Telegram messaging app wasn’t political
FILE - Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, center, smiles following his meeting with Indonesian Communication and Information Minister Rudiantara in Jakarta, Indonesia on Aug. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana, File)
France's Macron says arrest of the head of the Telegram messaging app wasn’t political
