Even though over a half-million Georgians have recently obtained health insurance through the federal health care marketplace, the state still has one of the highest rates of uninsured residents in the country.
Nearly 300,000 veterans, working parents, low-wage workers and older adults in Georgia are still without coverage. They earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid and not enough money to qualify for financial subsidies to purchase a marketplace plan.
Additional federal funding became available in January 2014 to provide insurance for these low-income adults. More than half the states are already taking advantage of this new opportunity. Our elected officials have so far chosen not to participate, leaving these hard-working Georgians stuck in the coverage gap.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Mercy Care, Central Outreach and Advocacy Center, Presbyterians for a Better Georgia, and North Fulton Community Charities know these individuals well. We have witnessed their struggles firsthand and have seen the tragic real-world consequences of this coverage gap: uncontrolled diabetes, undetected cancers, uncontrolled hypertension, even death. We are motivated to be their voice and speak out on this important issue. This should not be a partisan issue; it should be a moral one.
We call on the Georgia Legislature and Gov. Nathan Deal to take appropriate action to close the gap.
Not only is this the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. States that have expanded Medicaid are reporting decreases in their uninsured populations, dramatic decreases in hospital uncompensated care and hospital emergency room use, increases in jobs, and increases in hospital profitability. These facts should not be ignored by a state facing unprecedented hospital closures.
Furthermore, economists at Georgia State University project that closing the coverage gap would help create more than $65 billion in new economic activity over 10 years and lead to over $2 billion in additional tax revenue. Governor Deal and the Legislature can choose to use federal dollars that have already been set aside to provide this coverage for those in the gap. What’s more, we can choose to opt out at any time at no risk to our state.
Recent polls have shown the majority of Georgians support expanding health care coverage to low-income individuals. It will save lives, create jobs, increase state tax revenue and save our rural hospitals.
Why, then, have we failed to act? Because we have allowed this policy discussion to become a political issue, and those affected do not hold the keys to power or influence. Our values and our faith teach us that health policy must protect human life and dignity, not threaten them, especially for the most vulnerable among us.
We urge Georgia to follow the lead of the 28 other states — states led by Democrats and Republicans — and develop a plan to close our coverage gap. Let’s follow the will of the majority of Georgians who support improving access to health care. Let’s follow our faith traditions that teach us providing access to health care should be a fundamental human right.
It is time for our state government to take action, whether through Medicaid expansion, or by following the lead of other states with a creative and innovative alternative to expanding coverage to the state’s most vulnerable.
It is time for our state to close the coverage gap. Every day we delay, more people suffer. We call on all Georgians to join us in urging action now.
John Berry is CEO and executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Georgia. Barbara Duffy is executive director of North Fulton Community Charities.
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