(GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK)
*Georgia’s safety net programs could be threatened by proposed Medicaid cuts in a bill before Congress, warn advocates. Many Georgians are caught in the coverage gap, making too much for Medicaid but too little for private insurance, and rely on safety net programs for help. The GOP’s bill includes over $600 billion in Medicaid cuts over the next decade. The bill could impact services for people with disabilities and children covered by Medicaid. Advocates are urging congressional leaders to reconsider the proposed changes they say could limit access to care and worsen the state’s high uninsured rate.
*An undocumented college student who was placed in an ICE detention facility after being wrongfully pulled over is expected to be released on bond. Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, was granted a $1,500 bond Wednesday afternoon. Her attorney said her family hopes to have her back home on Thursday and Homeland Security doesn’t plan on appealing the judge’s decision. Atlanta News First reports Arias-Cristobal still faces possible deportation, however.
*Two Macon area men are being held without bond after trying to steal a dog they used to own from a shelter the Jones County Animal Shelter. The Jones County Sheriff’s Office says 51-year-old James Bradley Spicer and 29-year-old Donald Dean Spice are accused of breaking into the shelter and taking the dog. The sheriff’s office says the dog was scheduled to be put down because of a “prior biting incident.”