Editor’s note: This piece was submitted before a federal judge in Brunswick ruled earlier this month that the Biden administration must allow Georgia to implement its plan to partially expand Medicaid.
The Democrats continue saying that we have not expanded Medicaid in Georgia.
They are wrong.
The Republican-led legislature has continually provided the resources to ensure the number of Georgians with health coverage has increased. In just the last 15 years, the number of Georgians on Medicaid has grown by over 1 million people, a growth rate of 73 percent. Currently, over two-and-a-half-million people are enrolled. This is nearly one-fourth of the state’s population!
Credit: contributed
Credit: contributed
Medicaid is a state health care program. It exists to cover health care for poor elderly, blind and disabled people, and children and pregnant women. These are the people Medicaid was created for and that we have prioritized. For example, 73 percent of residents in Georgia’s nursing homes are paid for by Medicaid. Indeed, just this year we extended post-partum Medicaid coverage for women from 6 months to 1 year.
Our leadership will continue to make the vulnerable our top concern. But most people do not know that Gov. Brian Kemp introduced and our Georgia Republican Caucus passed a bill in 2019 to bring able-bodied working adults into the Medicaid program.
The Patients First Act passed with almost all Democrats voting against it. Why? Because it requires those able-bodied adults to work, volunteer, or be in school. They want to provide free healthcare to able-bodied adults who are able to work, but choose not to. Our plan had federal approval until the Biden White House stopped Georgia from moving forward. (A federal judge this month ruled that Georgia can now move to implement its plan.)
We do not accept the Democrats’ approach. Our focus is to help working Georgians who could not get Obamacare because their income is too low. It would provide nearly 350,000 able-bodied poor working adults the opportunity to access Medicaid coverage. If the Democrats really supported Medicaid expansion, they would have pushed the Biden Administration to approve our plan as originally approved.
Their lack of support is purely political.
State. Rep. Jesse Petrea, R-Savannah, represents House District 166. He serves on the House Health and Human Services Committee and the Health Appropriations Subcommittee.
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