No, it wasn’t a sneak attack to expand Medicaid. But House Speaker Jon Burns’ comments, when asked about whether he’d embrace a new push to add more Georgians to the rolls, are worth noting.
Here’s what the Republican told the Atlanta Press Club on Thursday:
“We have some ideas. I won’t share with you now, but we have some ideas in this space. And we’re going to work on them. We want to be new. We want to be innovative. I’m not sure that it’s traditional as we think of Medicaid expansion. But I want to tell you the ground is always shifting when it comes to what government is involved in.”
Burns and other GOP leaders have long opposed Medicaid expansion as too costly and inflexible, and there’s no indication that has changed. But he said he and other Republicans were exploring options to be “on the cutting edge” of health care.
Gov. Brian Kemp has embraced a limited expansion of Medicaid tied to workforce, education and other eligibility requirements. He’s intent on implementing his plan now that a judge has cleared its path forward. But there could be other pathways to boost enrollment without a full scale expansion.
There are gaping health care shortfalls. A staggering number of health care workers in Georgia quit their jobs during the pandemic. Hospital closures in Atlanta are straining the region’s safety net.
And the latest evidence: An investigation published by Capital B this week found Georgia’s maternal mortality crisis, which makes the state one of the most dangerous places in which to give birth, disproportionately affects rural Black women. From the story:
The health care system has disinvested in Georgia's rural Black communities at disproportionately high rates, forcing families to travel dozens of miles and across state lines to receive critical care. Many of the state's poorest regions battle the greatest barriers to health care, and face the worst outcomes.
A Capital B analysis of data from Georgia's Obstetrical and Gynecological Society found that, since 1994, more labor and delivery units have been closed in Black counties than in white counties. Over the same period, twice the number of labor and delivery units have opened in white counties compared with Black rural counties.
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BURNS NOTICE. Separately, Burns also panned the still-moot idea of Buckhead secession. And he indicated the effort to legalize sports betting is still alive this year despite failing to advance before Crossover Day.
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LISTEN UP. In the latest episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, AJC political insider Greg Bluestein is joined by DeKalb County beat reporter Tyler Estep to discuss how Atlanta’s proposed public safety center has become a national controversy.
Our hosts detail how opposition to the training complex has drawn an array of opponents in tense protests that have, at times, turned violent, destructive and even deadly.
Greg also answers your questions from the listener mailbag which you can now call into. The Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline is open 24 hours a day. Record your question for Greg and Patricia and we will play it back and answer it on next Friday’s episode. The number is (770) 810-5297.
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
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Credit: File photo
Credit: File photo
LOSING LANIER. Could Lake Lanier and Buford Dam undergo a name change? Since the two federal assets are named after figures with Confederate ties, they could get new monikers.
But there is confusion both at the local and the federal level over whether these sites are required to be renamed and, if so, how soon it would happen. Read more here.
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BOTTOMS UP. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is leaving the White House, but she might not be departing President Joe Biden’s inner circle.
NBC News reported that she’s in discussions with Biden’s aides about serving in a senior role with his 2024 reelection campaign or the Democratic National Committee.
Bottoms said earlier this month she was stepping down as senior adviser for public engagement to return to Georgia. In an interview, she left the door open to another run for public office, too.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
BUTTIGIEG BACKLASH. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins joined other Republicans in demanding the resignation of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for his handling of the Ohio train derailment.
Collins also said Buttigieg is “unfit” to lead the sprawling department because of an ongoing investigation into his use of private jets.
In a speech on the House floor, the first-term Republican accused Buttigieg of being “more focused on diversity training and identity politics” than on improving the nation’s transportation infrastructure.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
In an interview with CNN, Buttigieg acknowledged mistakes in his response to the East Palestine, Ohio toxic train derailment. But he also said his critics are misguided in blaming him for problems mostly out of his control.
Meanwhile, the chief executive of Norfolk Southern testified Thursday that he was “terribly sorry” for his company’s disaster as U.S. senators raised growing concerns about the Atlanta-based company’s derailments, our AJC colleague Kelly Yamanouchi reports.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- It’s a day of rest at the Capitol, time to regroup ahead of the final push to pass legislation before the final gavel on March 29.
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OSSOFF’S STRATEGY. Some politicians like to talk about their legislative proposals that were signed into law. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff seems to delight in discussing how his bipartisan measures came about. Read more here.
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Credit: Kent D. Johnson/AJC
Credit: Kent D. Johnson/AJC
CROSSING THE AISLE. Georgia U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop and David Scott were among nine Democrats who voted with Republicans to repeal Biden Administration rules on regulating waterways.
The legislation passed the House 227-198 and now goes to the Senate, where Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has already said he will side with Republicans to support the measure. But it’s hard to tell if there are enough Senate votes to adopt the proposal. President Joe Biden said he will veto the repeal if it lands on his desk.
Bishop and Scott didn’t immediately respond to requests about their stances on the proposal. Although they usually back Biden, both are viewed as moderate Democrats with deep ties to the agriculture industry.
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Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
Credit: Doug Mills/The New York Times
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- The House has a morning vote scheduled on legislation declassifying information relating to the origin of COVID-19 before members are dismissed for a recess until March 22.
- President Joe Biden will host Ursula von der Leyen at the White House. She is the president of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union.
- The U.S. Senate is done for the week.
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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
BACK TO JAIL. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sent a letter to District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser seeking congressional access to the local jail.
Greene told your Insiders she wants to bring fellow members of the Oversight Committee to the jail, but she would open it up to any interested members of the House.
Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and another Republican on the committee, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, also signed onto the letter, which was first reported by ABC News.
With Congress flexing its control of D.C. by rejecting local criminal sentencing revisions, Greene wants similar energy turned to the jail where dozens of Jan. 6 defendants are being held.
But Greene, R-Rome, said her concerns cover the entire facility, which has long faced complaints of poor conditions that worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.
“There are tremendous amounts of claims of human rights abuse and violations coming from the jail, so we need to go see it,” Greene said. “And we fund it. So we can fund a jail that’s treating people so badly.”
Greene first visited the jail in November 2021, when she and other conservative lawmakers toured the facility and met with some of the Jan. 6 defendants.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
PERSONNEL FILE. Atlanta native Rykia Dorsey Craig is being promoted to special assistant to President Joe Biden and senior communications adviser to Ambassador Susan Rice, Biden’s domestic policy adviser.
Craig is a day one member of the Biden administration, serving on his communications staff in roles that required her to foster relationships with local newsrooms. She is a native of southwest Atlanta who attended Tri-Cities High School.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY: Meet Sprinkles Murphy, a five-year-old yellow lab rescue from Peachtree Park and today’s Jolt Dog of the Day.
Sprinkles’ hobbies include emptying her toy bin, befriending anyone at the dinner table likely to share their meal, and rolling in grass, mud or other substances most likely to stain her white coat.
Sprinkles is also a VIP, or Very Important Pooch, since her person is Emily Murphy, AJC subscriber and twin sister of one of your Insiders. Although we don’t condone pet-potism, we are confident that as a devoted Politically Georgia podcast listener, Sprinkles has earned this honor all on her own. Congratulations, Sprinkles!
Send us your pups of any political persuasion —and cats on a cat-by-case basis — to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
