Past time for lawmakers to do what’s right with Medicaid
The continued refusal of the Georgia Legislature (and governor) to seriously consider expanding Medicaid in the state is a real head-scratcher. The expressed rationale has always been the price. This, despite that the federal government pays the bulk of the cost; Georgia is sitting on large cash reserves, and 40 other states (some of which are worse off economically than Georgia) have seen fit to offer this to their citizens. Georgia Pathways, a half-baked attempt to appear to be doing something, is proving to be a costly bust.
Expansion would help Georgia’s thousands of un- and underinsured, our hospitals (especially rural ones), and the providers who care for these patients. Who loses here? If one of the purposes of government is to work for the common good, this should be an easy call.
I suspect the primary reason is a rigid adherence to traditional conservative/Republican orthodoxy. If so, it is a rather lame and cynical excuse. It is long past time for our elected representatives to quit stalling and do the right thing.
J. BANCROFT LESESNE, M.D., ATLANTA
Government not the solution for kids on social media
Regarding Michelle Goldberg’s “Give kids more to do than going online” (AJC Opinion, March 24): First, we had the government and its Great Society initiative of the 1960s undermining family structure -- especially for minorities and people with low incomes -- where welfare checks replaced fathers in the home. Now, we have a culture where abortion -- rather than having and raising children -- is the focus of our politics.
Add in technology that has children mimicking their parents by spending most of their waking hours on a cell phone or in front of some other screen. What are we looking to in order to cure the problems this has created? The government. The same entity that began destroying the family in the first place.
GREGORY MARSHALL, MARIETTA
