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Cherokee County DSS: Healthy Blue rollout causing placement and reimbursement problems; 32 children in custody
Summary
Director Amanda T. McGee reported delays and provider-payment problems following the Healthy Blue Medicaid rollout that have hindered placements; the county has 32 children in foster care and cited at least one child who lost services due to lack of Healthy Blue approval.
At the Cherokee County Department of Social Services board meeting Jan. 27, 2026, Director Amanda T. McGee told the board that the Healthy Blue Medicaid rollout had been "problematic," citing delays in Medicaid reimbursement, providers not receiving payment, and difficulties placing children in residential settings.
Director McGee said one child lost services because Healthy Blue did not approve the placement and expressed concern about children with significant mental health needs who remain unplaced. She told the board Cherokee County currently has 32 children in foster care and provided packet data showing foster-home counts and placement details.
Board members did not move to take immediate formal action beyond recording the problem and monitoring placement and reimbursement developments. Management reports distributed with the meeting materials showed staff performance still meeting established DHHS MOU benchmarks and included service-report metrics for December 2025.
The board will continue to monitor the situation and any State or insurer responses that could affect placements or provider reimbursement.
