Kemp and Perdue Against Bringing 64,000 Jobs to Georgia

Brian Kemp’s continued refusal to expand Medicaid isn’t just hurting Georgians’ health – it has also caused Georgia to miss out on more than 64,000 jobs across the state.

Instead of implementing a Medicaid expansion that would create 64,300 new jobs in Georgia, Kemp continues to stand by his partial and restrictive Medicaid proposal that could actually cost the state more than full expansion while covering fewer people. 

If Georgia were to expand Medicaid now, the state would receive enough federal funds to cover the cost of Medicaid expansion and then some. Medicaid expansion is more popular than ever, with three in four Georgians supporting it, yet Kemp refuses to act. Meanwhile, David Perdue spent his time as a Senator voting to gut Medicaid expansion and eventually slash Medicaid funding by more than a third.

Amid Republicans’ refusal to do the right thing, Democrats in Congress — led by Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock — have introduced legislation to create a federal pathway for Medicaid expansion that bypasses Kemp’s inaction, while state Democrats continue to push for Georgia to expand Medicaid.

“Brian Kemp’s stubborn opposition to Medicaid expansion is cheating Georgians out of not just quality health care, but thousands of good-paying jobs,” said Rebecca Galanti, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Georgia. “We could bring both jobs and health coverage to thousands more Georgians at no extra cost to the state, but Brian Kemp refuses to do so – and David Perdue’s record tells us he would do exactly the same. Come 2022, voters won’t forget that while Democrats fight for Medicaid expansion, Republicans like Brian Kemp and David Perdue stand in the way of creating thousands more Georgia jobs while delivering high-quality health care for half a million Georgians.”

BACKGROUND: Medicaid Expansion Would Bring Jobs, Economic Boost, and Health Care to Georgia

• Medicaid expansion would create an estimated 64,300 jobs across Georgia, including 22,000 in the health sector and thousands across other sectors.
• Federal funding would cover Georgia’s Medicaid expansion with an estimated $710 million leftover.
• By expanding Medicaid, Georgia would gain more than $3.5 billion in federal funding in 2022 and $110 million in increased state and local tax revenue.
• Medicaid expansion could add 12,000 jobs and $1.3 billion to rural Georgia economies.
• 646,000 Georgians stand to gain health coverage under Medicaid expansion. 
• 269,000 Georgians remain uninsured because of Georgia’s failure to expand Medicaid, and Georgia’s uninsured rate of 13.7 percent is the third highest in the country.

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