Georgia Democrats, Local Health Care Advocate Slam GOP U.S. Senate Candidates for Medicaid Cuts That Would Leave 750K Georgians Uninsured, Per New Analysis

Today, Georgia Democrats and a local health care advocate spoke out against GOP U.S. Senate candidates who are backing the historic cuts to Medicaid moving through Congress.

Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey, Georgia State Representative Sam Park, and Care One Franchise Inc. Director Nadine Johnson highlighted the dangers of the GOP budget bill that could leave 750,000 Georgians uninsured, according to a new Congressional Budget Office estimate.

In recent days, multiple candidates for U.S. Senate have vocally thrown their support behind these devastating cuts. Insurance Commissioner John King said he would “absolutely” vote to pass the Medicaid cuts in the GOP’s budget bill if he were in the Senate and Rep. Buddy Carter told Georgians that he “wanted to cut Medicaid more.”

Rep. Mike Collins – who is reportedly weighing a run for U.S. Senate — said he wants people to “get off of Medicaid, get off of Social Security. 

See below for key quotes from the speakers on today’s press call: 

“Carter, King, and Collins have proven how out of step they are with Georgia voters,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Chair Charlie Bailey. “Promoting any of these guys to the U.S. Senate would be an existential threat to affordable health care for working people in our state.”

“Rather than trying to solve the current challenges that we’re facing, rather than trying to find new ways to get more people covered, and expand access to affordable health care for hardworking Georgians, Republicans running for Senate are working overtime to strip it away,” said Georgia State Representative Sam Park (HD-107). “We need partners in the U.S. Senate who will work hand in hand with us to help Georgians, not people like Buddy Carter, John King, and Mike Collins who are hellbent on hurting us.”

“If Medicaid cuts continue as they are sitting on the table right now, without Medicaid our hospitals and some medical facilities, they can’t survive,” said Care One Franchise Inc. Director Nadine Johnson. “Those sweeping cuts would mean that rural hospitals would have to close their doors, putting doctors, nurses, and medical support staff out of jobs.”