Kemp Fails to Address Georgia’s High Uninsured Rate as He Signs Health Care Bills

Today, as Brian Kemp signed seven health care bills into law with various impacts, he failed to sign legislation that will help increase health care coverage to address Georgia’s high uninsured rate. The Peach State has the third-highest uninsured rate in the nation, but Kemp refuses to take action to expand Medicaid and provide affordable health care coverage to over 500,000 Georgians. The Democratic Party of Georgia released the following statement in response:

“Brian Kemp’s refusal to expand Medicaid is denying half a million Georgians access to affordable health coverage and life-saving care. If Kemp truly cared about the well-being of his constituents, he’d take action to fully expand Medicaid — it’s cost effective, a job-creating engine, and would improve access to care in rural communities,” said Max Flugrath, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Georgia.

Both Brian Kemp and his Trump-endorsed primary opponent, David Perdue, oppose expanding Medicaid, which would provide over 500,000 Georgians with access to affordable health care and lower our state’s uninsured rate. 

More on how expanding Medicaid would improve coverage in Georgia:

• Over 500,000 Georgians stand to gain health coverage under Medicaid expansion. If Georgia were to expand Medicaid, more than half a million Georgia adults and children could gain Medicaid coverage.

• 58% of Georgians who stand to gain coverage under Medicaid expansion are people of color. Georgians who fall into the Medicaid coverage gap are disproportionately people of color, making up 58% of the coverage gap. 47% are Black and 9% are Latinx, while 42% are white.

• 155,000 uninsured Georgia women stand to gain coverage under Medicaid expansion. Expanding Medicaid in Georgia would extend health coverage to 155,00 Georgia women in the Medicaid coverage gap. Georgia ranks among the bottom five states for women’s health insurance coverage.

• Medicaid expansion would decrease the rural uninsured rate. In states that expanded Medicaid, the uninsured rate for low-income adults dropped from 35 percent to 16 percent in rural areas and small towns.

• Half of Georgia’s uninsured veterans stand to gain coverage under Medicaid expansion. Expanding Medicaid in Georgia would extend coverage to 32,000 veterans and military spouses who do not have health insurance.

Read more about the positive impact Medicaid expansion would have on Georgia’s rural communities, Georgians’ health outcomes, and the state’s uninsured rate, and the economy.

###