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Georgia lawmaker: “Some rural hospitals need to close”

We’ve already heard a lot of election-year pandering from conservative politicians in Atlanta. Last week, Gov. Deal offered some talk of bailout assistance to rural hospitals who are gasping to survive thanks to the governor’s stubborn, partisan refusal to expand Medicaid. Savvy politicians like Gov. Deal avoid talking about the consequences of their extremist positions and pretend they care about the citizens they hurt. But some politicians aren’t so slick. Take Rep. Sharon Cooper for example. In an interview broadcast this morning on WABE, State Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta), Chair of the powerful House Health and Human Services Committee, exposed Gov. Deal’s real agenda when she said, “There are some of those rural hospitals that need to close.” Rep. Cooper, who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, doesn’t even bother pretending to care about the people affected by the Governor’s extremist position. In fact, she places the blame on the hospitals. After WABE noted that local hospitals need the expansion to offset losses in funding, Rep. Cooper responded, “Sure the hospitals want it because then they would get paid something for the emergency room, but they already get paid something with taking care of the people who can’t afford it. There’s already a fund for that. So that is pretty self-serving on the hospital association point of view.” As we told you earlier this year, three rural hospitals have already closed because of Gov. Deal’s dangerous decision. Independent reports show six more hospitals could be shuttered soon, if Rep. Cooper gets her way. And one lawmaker has claimed as many as 20 hospitals could soon close because Georgia’s hospitals are “like addicts on crack.” Gov. Deal has been trying to justify his position, claiming that the state can’t afford the expansion despite billions of federal dollars Georgia would receive. But now we know the truth: Gov. Deal and his right-wing friends in Atlanta just don’t care about small-town Georgia. Call Rep. Cooper today and thank her for telling us the truth. Tell her you appreciate knowing she and Gov. Deal just don’t care about people in small towns. Rep. Cooper can be reached at her Gold Dome office at 404.656.5069, at her metro Atlanta district office at 770.956.8357. You may email Rep. Cooper at [email protected].

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