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Elections

Kemp vs. Abrams: Who will fight for better access to health care?

When it comes to expanding access to health care, gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp could not be further apart. Although moves on the federal level last year dampened the outlook for both the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion, closing the coverage gap in Georgia would mean an additional 473,000 Georgians would have access to health insurance by 2019. That’s 473,000 fewer people straining a health care system plagued by financial insecurity and

Immigration and Refugees

Kemp slams immigration on bus tour

As part of his gubernatorial campaign’s bus tour, Sec. of State Brian Kemp gave a talk inside of what was once a jail cell advocating a crackdown on immigration. As has become typical of the Republican rhetoric on immigration, his speech was full of hateful, confusing half-truths. The crux of his talk was about how undocumented immigrants are driving up the cost of heathcare. He said it was “insane” that undocumented immigrants get healthcare coverage

Energy

Invest in rural Georgia

Rural Georgia is home to about half the state’s population and a favorite talking point of politicians. But infrastructure issues continue to be one of the most pressing problems rural areas face, and both state and federal leaders need to prove they are committed to doing more than just talking about our rural communities. The rural hospital crisis has been ongoing for years, leaving rural communities with fewer and fewer options for accessing healthcare. Currently,

Better Georgia

Trump’s health care cuts will kill Georgians

President Donald Trump wants to convert Medicaid into a block grant system, which means massive cuts in Medicaid and deadly effects for Georgians. This new program would take Medicaid administration from the federal government and give it the states. Research on past programs just like this one show us the deadly effects that result. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analyzed a 2014 block grant plan and found it would result in a 26 percent

Economy

Georgia’s sixth rural hospital closure on Gov. Deal’s watch

North Georgia Medical Center in Ellijay, Ga. has shut its doors, making it the sixth rural hospital to close since Gov. Deal took office and the fifth closure since 2013. The plan is to reopen emergency room-only services in November, but even that depends upon the lease agreement being approved by the Georgia Dept. of Community Health. What does the closure mean for the town of Ellijay? It means that residents will have to drive

Featured

Medicaid expansion a must for Georgia’s hospitals and families

Rural hospital closures continue to decimate local communities in Georgia. Gov. Nathan Deal, House Speaker David Ralston and House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, among other policymakers, have all publicly addressed the issue. In other words: Everyone knows it’s a problem. But partisan politics once again gets in the way of implementing a common-sense solution. Gov. Deal and conservative leaders want to snub President Obama and the federal government by refusing to expand Medicaid. But it’s Georgia’s