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Atlanta Forward: Leadership

Sara Rodriguez looks over an Affordable Care Act brochure. Rodriguez, like others who gathered to listen to a presentation about President Barack Obama’s signature health care overhaul, says she can’t afford insurance, even for $50 a month.

Credit: David J. Phillip/AP

Credit: David J. Phillip/AP

Sara Rodriguez looks over an Affordable Care Act brochure. Rodriguez, like others who gathered to listen to a presentation about President Barack Obama’s signature health care overhaul, says she can’t afford insurance, even for $50 a month.
By Rick Badie
March 19, 2014

Today's moderator: Rick Badie

Rick Badie joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as an education reporter in 1997. A South Georgia native, he's covered the region's immigrant communities, was a feature obituary writer and opinion columnist for the AJC's Gwinnett edition.

You'd think Georgians would sign up in droves for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, given this is a high-needs state with an uninsured population of roughly 20 percent. Today, Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius  and a local advocate urge residents to sign up  before open enrollment ends on March 31. Meanwhile, a state lawmaker  wants to "quarantine" the new law.

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