3 big pieces of non-Trump related news dropped in Georgia last week:
The state has an $11 billion surplus: Georgia's cash hoard approaches $11 billion after a third year of big surpluses | AP News
The state ranks worst in healthcare: The Worst (And Best) States For Healthcare, Ranked – Forbes Advisor
Governor Kemp’s Medicaid Expansion alternative, “Pathways”, is a disaster: Georgia Medicaid program with work requirement has enrolled only 1,343 residents in 3 months – WTRF
Let’s dive in.
Don’t Call It a Surplus
A report released by the State Accounting Office revealed that Georgia ran a surplus of $5.3 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30th, bringing the total amount of cash the state is hoarding from its citizens to almost $11 billion. Instead of calling this a “surplus”, State House Representative Lisa Campbell said instead that, "We don’t have an $11B surplus-we have $11B services withheld from Georgians. Government isn’t for the purpose of generating profit—its purpose is to serve the public sector. I urge the Governor to stop disregarding the needs of GA’s families." As Republicans hoard Georgia’s hard-earned wealth rather than using it to improve the lives of Georgians, expect "$11 billion in services withheld" to be the new refrain for Democrats in the state.
It’s Georgians taxpayer money, being withheld by Republicans, while our state ranks –
1st in Business – Just Don’t Ask About Healthcare!
Worst. Yes, worst in healthcare according to a new study released by Forbes. This includes:
2nd worst in maternal mortality
3rd worst in healthcare cost
3rd worst in lack of healthcare coverage
5th highest in kidney disease mortality
8th highest in stroke mortality
And the 2nd highest percentage of residents who chose not to see a doctor in the last 12 months simply due to the cost of the visit.
This ranking would be shameful for any state, but in Georgia where Republicans boast about our business ranking and wealth creation it is particularly cruel and egregious to rank as the worst state in the country for healthcare. $11 billion in services withheld, alright. Instead of expanding Medicaid, Governor Kemp has recently released a new plan surrounding Georgia’s healthcare woes called Georgia Pathways, but where does Kemp’s path lead?
The Georgia Pathways program has only enrolled roughly 1300 people in three months. The program has had an extremely low enrollment due to the hefty work requirement, expensive nature, and mountainous paperwork associated with participating. Many have complained about how swamped staff members are and how the portal feels designed to be the opposite of user friendly. With 252,000 Georgians eligible for “Pathways” but not enrolled, at the current rate it will take 61 years to register everyone in this coverage gap. Out of 13 states that considered adding work requirements to eligibility for medicaid coverage, Georgia is the only one that has done so, leaving behind many Georgians who are unable to work.
So What Can We Do?
It is a familiar refrain, not just in Georgia but throughout the country: elect more Democrats. You can help elect more Democrats by funding year-round organizing, which exposes Republican extremism – in all its forms – 365 days a year, and not just the 40 days before an election.
The sooner we flip the state legislature, the sooner we can provide every Georgian with the healthcare services they need. To start a recurring donation of $5, $10, or $25, click here.
You can also reach out to your State House and State Senate Reps to advocate for Medicaid Expansion, which would provide healthcare for over 500,000 Georgians overnight.