Georgia Democrats Respond to Gov. Kemp Announcing He Is “In the ‘No’ Camp” on Medicaid Expansion

Today, Georgia Democrats held a press conference responding to Governor Kemp’s recent comments that he is “in the no camp” on Medicaid expansion, now and in the future.

Outside the shuttered AMC Wellstar hospital building in Atlanta – one of six hospitals that has closed on Governor Kemp’s watch – Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler and Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Elena Parent outlined how Governor Kemp’s extreme position on Medicaid can only be explained by putting his personal political agenda ahead of the needs of the people he was elected to serve. They reiterated that expanding Medicaid has broad popular support, would cover tens of thousands more Georgians at lower taxpayer cost than Kemp’s failed “Pathways to Coverage” program, and would help create 56,000 jobs each year.

“While the governor claims to put Georgians first, all I’ve seen is Brian Kemp first,” said Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler. “The governor has slashed our state’s government funding and services so he can brag about his big surplus. He’s denied our people health insurance and economic growth – and bragged about it – because Brian Kemp doesn’t like that idea. He believes the legislature ‘crosses the line’ when it considers legislation that he doesn’t like. This state can’t afford to keep following the Brian Kemp First plan. We must put Georgians first and we need to do it immediately.”

“[Kemp] says that Georgia will not expand Medicaid on his watch – no matter what the people, the legislature, or our health care providers think. He’s a no now, he’s a no for the future. But last time I checked, Kemp was not elected king of Georgia. The public demand to expand Medicaid is increasing, and many of our Republican colleagues and both the House and the Senate are admitting the urgent need to get this done and they are getting on board,” said Senator Elena Parent, Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. “The governor has a choice in 2025. He can join the reasonable minds on both sides of the aisle who are trying to do what’s best for Georgia, or he can cement his legacy as the lone force standing in the way.”

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