January 30, 2025
Regardless of Governor Brian Kemp’s opposition, 4 Republican senators in Georgia are backing a Democrat-sponsored invoice to broaden Medicaid.
Medicaid growth in Georgia has gained bipartisan help, with 4 Republican senators signing the Democrat-backed invoice.
Whereas Georgia Governor Brian Kemp largely dismissed Republican help for Medicaid growth, 4 GOP lawmakers signed onto a Democrat-sponsored invoice advocating for the initiative, 11 Alive reported. The 4 Republicans who help Medicaid growth signify pockets of rural Georgia, together with Sen. Carden Summers (R-Cordele), Sen. Russ Goodman (R-Cogdell), Sen. Billy Hickman (R-Statesboro), and Sen. Sam Watson (R-Moultrie).
By supporting the invoice, the GOP members are seemingly opposing Gov. Kemp’s state-run initiatives, Pathways and Georgia Entry, which Kemp argues are already outperforming Medicaid growth.
“The previous system just isn’t working. And the opposite facet, their solely reply to any of that is they need government-run well being care. And I’m not in that boat,“ Kemp stated on Jan. 15.
Summers said that he signed the invoice after listening to from constituents who would profit from Medicaid growth. He emphasised his dedication to defending rural hospitals, together with Crisp Regional Hospital in his hometown of Cordele.
“It’s tough,” stated Jeff Mullis, a former state senator and Kemp ally. “Nevertheless, in rural Georgia, there’s lots of people who want medical consideration and don’t have the cash to pay for it. “
Supporters of the invoice are praising the 4 GOP members for taking a daring step that could possibly be a big turning level in advancing Medicaid growth.
“It’s arduous to overstate the significance of getting bipartisan help for laws, particularly on this space,” stated Elizabeth Appley, a longtime advocate for increasing healthcare choices in Georgia. “They’re responding to public sentiment. And they’re searching for to guard these hospitals, these rural hospitals.”
Mullis additionally believes that different Republican lawmakers could also be keen on voting for Medicaid growth regardless of Kemp’s opposition.
“It’ll be a wrestle for them. However I’m glad there’s some with braveness,” Mullis stated.
An answer to get everybody on board can be to change the identify to one thing apart from “Medicaid growth,” Mullis suggests. Thus far, the Medicaid growth invoice has proposed the brand new identify of “Peach Care Plus.”
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