State Rep. Sharon Cooper has had a change of heart.
On Tuesday, we told you that Cooper, a conservative Republican lawmaker from Marietta and chair of the powerful House Health and Human Services Committee, believed that some rural hospitals needed to close, rather than receive badly-needed funding assistance.
We asked you to call Sharon Cooper and let her know what you thought about her position on hospitals. It’s clear that your action made a difference.
Today, she calls that position “unthinkable.”
“If we don’t act to make real, substantive changes, we very well could be faced with the hard reality of hospital closures in rural parts of this state, no matter how many short gap measures we take, leaving many communities without the economic engine and access to care people depend on,” she told the AJC.
We applaud Rep. Cooper for siding with rural Georgians and recognizing the need for new action on this pressing issue.
We even have a suggestion.
If Rep. Cooper wants to “make real, substantive changes” to the way our hospitals are funded, then we have a simple solution: she can tell her friend, Gov. Deal, to accept the Medicaid expansion in Georgia. This is the new law of the land and it’s time for Georgia to move forward.
With the stroke of a pen, Gov. Deal could bring billions of dollars into the state to cover hundreds of thousands of uninsured Georgians and save dozens of local hospitals from closing their doors.
It’s that simple.
You can do your part by keeping up with us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates on the new progressive movement in Georgia.
Thank you for making a difference.
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