Athens - Protesters calling for the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act were ejected from the Georgia Republican Convention as they marched with banners chanting "save Georgia lives."
More than 100 demonstrators regrouped under a "Medicaid Now" banner outside the Classic Center, where thousands of GOP heavyweights gathered to hear from a trio of White House contenders. Later, they fanned out to urge delegates to embrace the expansion of the program, which Gov. Nathan Deal and other Republicans have said is far too costly in the long-term.
"We have 650,000 people in Georgia who aren't getting the healthcare they need," said Tim Denson, a former candidate for
and organizer of the protest. "We need to push this through immediately, and we thought it was a perfect time to deliver the message."
The protesters were corralled after a few minutes by security officers as they marched through the entryway of the Classic Center. Melvin Everson, a former GOP lawmaker and the director of the state Commission on Equal Opportunity, was among the Republican activists who turned back the group. He yelled "get out" at the protesters as deputies hustled them out of the building.
Georgia health officials are considering asking the federal government for more Medicaid money to help the state's struggling rural hospitals and its big "safety net" hospitals like Grady Memorial in Atlanta. But Deal and other leaders say they remain steadfastly opposed to expanding the program.
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