Senator backs plan to expand Medicaid into 12 states, including Georgia
Georgia Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock is taking the lead on Senate legislation that would expand Medicaid to the 12 states that have not already done so under provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The move comes as a key Senate committee takes up the issue of medical debt.
In a legislative hearing yesterday, Warnock noted the benefits to Georgians of expanded Medicaid.
In remarks to the committee, Warnock said:
“The Affordable Care Act allowed states to expand Medicaid to over 13 million Americans. This is transformational legislation for our country, but sadly, there are still 646,000 Georgians unable to access free and affordable health care, because state politicians continue to prioritize politics over people. I've been fighting for Medicaid expansion long before I came to the Senate. And when I arrived, I fought really hard to get further incentives for Georgia to expand Medicaid, which we won in the American Rescue Plan. And the state continues, state politicians, continue to refuse to expand Medicaid - a net loss to the state and certainly to the 646,000 Georgians in the Medicaid gap. And that's why after that I introduced the Medicaid Saves Lives Act, which would give folks in states like Georgia access to health care, and I'm fighting to close the coverage gap to ensure that everybody, everywhere, no matter your zip code, has access to health care."
Warnock further lamented the growth of medical debt in Georgia and noted that 108,000 Georgians owe some $120 million in medical debt.
“Medicaid expansion is something I'm focused on and I'll keep pushing for that. But also capping the cost of prescription drugs, which would be helpful. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly 1 in 10 adults, or roughly 23 million people, owe medical debt. And as of 2020, American families collectively owed over $140 billion in medical debt. In Georgia, there's over $120 million in medical debt for over 108,000 folks. This is unacceptable. People should not have to choose between getting the prescription drugs they need and groceries.”
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