U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock introduced the Bridge to Medicaid Act to provide health care coverage to the hundreds of thousands of Georgians who are without health care.
The legislation would provide a temporary health care option for people in the Medicaid coverage gap to get subsidized private health care until non-expansion states like Georgia finally expand Medicaid.
“I’ve been fighting since before I came to the Senate to get Georgia to finally expand Medicaid and close the health care coverage gap. Health care is a human right, and in the richest nation in the world, it’s a travesty that there are still hundreds of thousands of Georgians who don’t have access to the affordable health care they need due solely to the craven decisions of state politicians,” said Sen. Reverend Warnock. “That’s why, as a voice for Georgia in the Senate, I’ve worked tirelessly on the federal level to find a way to close the health care gap in Georgia and the other non-expansion states, including creating an extra $1.2 billion in federal incentives for the state to finally expand Medicaid, and now, why I’m introducing legislation to provide health care coverage for Georgians in the Medicaid gap as a temporary solution until Georgia finally expands Medicaid.”
The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Bob Casey (D-PA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Jon Ossoff (D-GA).
Warnock’s proposal stems from the state’s decision not to expand the Medicaid program. Gov. Brian Kemp has been against Medicaid expansion during his tenure.
While speaking at the Georgia Hospital Association’s annual meeting on July 11, Kemp continued to speak against Medicaid expansion.
“To me, that’s not the best path forward. That being said, do we have more work to do? Absolutely, we do,” Kemp said. “And we remain committed toward progress we’ve made in fighting back against efforts that threaten to send us backwards.”
Georgia is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. As a result, over 100,000 people who otherwise would have access to the government-funded health insurance have to go without.
Georgia was cleared by a federal court to implement work requirements for Medicaid.
The federal court ruling allowed for Georgia to implement work provisions for people who need Medicaid. In a strange decision, the Biden Administration failed to appeal the federal court’s ruling.
During Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House, he accepted Kemp’s plan to enforce work requirements, but the Biden Administration initially rejected the plan. However, a federal judge ruled that the Biden Administration overstepped its authority.
Work requirements for Medicaid has only occurred once in American history. In 2018, Arkansas implemented work requirements for Medicaid and over 18,000 people eventually loss coverage. A federal court would later strike down Arkansas work requirements.
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