Couldn’t Be Clearer: Keisha Lance Bottoms Will Expand Medicaid, Rick Jackson Will Not
Medicaid expansion is a critical issue for Georgia, and as nine rural hospitals have closed their doors and hundreds of thousands of Georgians have gone without healthcare, Keisha Lance Bottoms has made clear that she will fight to expand Medicaid on day one.
Speaking at the Georgia Chamber’s annual Congressional Luncheon in Athens on Wednesday, she said: “[Medicaid expansion] is not a Republican, independent or Democratic issue. This is an issue that is impacting the strength of our state. Because we’ve not expanded Medicaid, nine more hospitals have closed.”
This comes on the heels of Keisha’s Southeast Georgia Healthcare Tour, where she spoke with Georgians about her plans to expand Medicaid, protect Georgia’s rural hospitals, and recruit and retain healthcare workers. Speaking with voters across the region, Keisha said: “Expanding Medicaid is a top priority” and that “We’re going to keep trying until it passes. […] Failure is not an option.”
Compare that to Rick Jackson, who has made clear throughout his campaign that he opposes Medicaid expansion even as this position has thrown Georgia into a healthcare crisis.
Last year, a critical labor and delivery unit in Lavonia shut down because of cuts to Medicaid, and several other hospitals across Georgia are warning of potential closures. But in the midst of this crisis – and even with the economic benefits of expanding Medicaid in Georgia well documented – Jackson doesn’t want to expand healthcare access for Georgians.
As a result of failure to expand Medicaid, Georgians are forced to deal with higher costs and less overall access to care that has thrown Georgia into a healthcare crisis. But rather than deal with the crisis, Jackson is fighting for the system that has gotten him so rich on the backs of taxpayers while Georgians are forced to pay more for less care.
Jackson even admitted to supporting Trump’s budget law that kicked 500,000 Georgians off their healthcare because it lowered his own taxes, telling a voter in Thomasville that “If [Trump] hadn’t passed it—I’ll be honest with you—I’d be paying 40% more in taxes right now.”
It couldn’t be more clear: Keisha Lance Bottoms will fight for Medicaid expansion, and Rick Jackson will oppose it every step of the way.
