Governor Kemp Doubles Down on Failed Pathways Initiative

In a lawsuit filed today, Governor Brian Kemp doubled down on his failed Georgia “Pathways to Coverage” program, which insures significantly fewer Georgians at significantly higher cost than full Medicaid expansion. 

Kemp’s signature healthcare alternative has been widely panned as a total failure, only enrolling 2,300 out of 1.4 million uninsured Georgians. Full Medicaid expansion, by contrast, would cover 500,000 Georgians at one-fifth the cost. 

Georgia remains the only state in the country with work requirements to receive Medicaid and one of just ten states to have refused federal funding to fully expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and cover an additional half-million Georgians. 

“It’s fitting that Governor Kemp dropped this lawsuit on Groundhog Day; the date might have changed, but it’s still the same tired, failed policies that cost more and do less coming from the governor’s office,” said DPG spokesperson Alex Yerkey. “He’s already spent $20 million to insure roughly 2300 people. I think the time has come to ask: how much more taxpayer money does he intend to waste on this failed program when there’s a more effective, less expensive option available right now?”

Under Kemp’s failed leadership, Georgia has one of the highest uninsured rates in the country and among the worst maternal mortality rates.

Here is how Georgia would benefit from full Medicaid expansion:

• Kemp has stubbornly refused to fully expand Medicaid, which would cover nearly half a million more Georgians and is paid for by federal funding.

• Georgia would receive billions in federal funding by agreeing to fully expand Medicaid, which Kemp is currently leaving on the table.

• Medicaid expansion would create thousands of jobs each year in Georgia and help rural hospitals stay open.

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