Georgia Democrats Renew Call for Full Medicaid Expansion Amid Kemp’s Health Care Failures

ATLANTA – Today, Georgia Democrats held a press conference calling for full Medicaid expansion as Gov. Brian Kemp’s health care half-measures continue to fail Georgians. State Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler and House Democratic Caucus Whip Sam Park discussed how Kemp’s restrictive health care plan, which has enrolled fewer than 1500 people since its rollout, will insure a fraction of the Georgians that full Medicaid expansion would cover and also cost more. Speakers also highlighted the benefits of full Medicaid expansion for Georgia, from coverage for hundreds of thousands of people to creating jobs across the state.

“Governor Kemp’s Pathways [program] is bad for Georgia. It’s failing Georgia. Pathways doesn’t cover enough Georgians, and those that it does cover, it takes too long to get it done. This is a failure of leadership, and it is a failure of governance. The Senate can end the Governor’s failed experiment by passing SB 24 next year. SB 24 would expand Medicaid and cover up to 500,000 people,” said Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler. “Think of all the hospitals that could still be open, the jobs we could have created, and the loved ones we could have saved had we just expanded Medicaid years ago… enough is enough. Let’s end the Governor’s failed experiment and expand Medicaid.”

“Full Medicaid expansion would cover nearly half a million Georgians. It would create thousands of jobs in healthcare and other sectors across the state. It would help our rural hospitals keep their doors open. It would save lives. It’s the right thing to do,” said House Democratic Caucus Whip Sam Park. “Despite Kemp and Republicans’ stubborn refusal to do what’s right for Georgians, Georgia Democrats in the state legislature will not give up. With a new legislative session around the corner, Democrats in the House and in the Senate are prepared to fight once again to fully expand Medicaid and make affordable, accessible healthcare a reality for hundreds of thousands of Georgians.”

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