The two state senators who represent Jackson County as the 2013 legislative session nears see challenges for the General Assembly in funding increased health care costs in the wake of passage of the Affordable Health Care Act.

Sen. Frank Ginn represents the bottom half of Jackson County following the realignment of his 47th District last year. A Republican from Madison County, Ginn has represented the district for two years.

Sen. John Wilkinson (R-Toccoa) represents the eight Jackson County precincts in the northeast half of the county including all of Commerce. A former program manager for the Department of Education, he was elected to the Senate in a special election in 2011.

Wilkinson expects the Affordable Health Care Act to have a big impact on the budget in terms of the states costs for Medicaid and Medicare.

The big issue is the assessment on hospital beds, he said. That comes up to be renewed this year.

The fee was implemented during the administration of Gov. Sonny Perdue. The state levies a per-bed fee against hospitals and leverages that to get federal funding.

We charge a fee, the federal government matches it, but if that assessment is not renewed, well have to come up with $400 million, said Wilkinson.

What the legislature will do, he added, is difficult to say.

Where the challenge is, some people view that as a tax, he noted, which can be fatal for a revenue stream in Georgia. Its something that has been in place already and we actually get two federal dollars for every state dollar. Its a good deal for the state.

Ginn said that the Affordable Health Care Act is basically a $400 million cost in the budget for increases in the state portions of Medicare and Medicaid.

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Senators: Health care funding to hit budget