Medicaid Expansion Should Be On Special Session Agenda: Democratic State Lawmakers

ATLANTA -- Democratic state lawmakers gathered Tuesday to urge Gov. Brian Kemp to add Medicaid expansion to the agenda of next week’s special legislative session.

Led by Georgia Rep. Matthew Wilson, the group is asking Kemp to allow both bodies to debate and vote on amending the current “partial expansion” legislation, SB106 passed last year that went into effect in July, to open up Medicaid for more than 500,000 Georgia residents.

“While we’re here during this special session, let’s use the time,” Wilson said.

The law allows Georgia to ask the federal government to expand Medicaid on a limited basis, granting for only those residents earning up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, or up to about $12,000 a year for an individual or over $21,000 for a family of three, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. And those Medicaid recipients are required to show that they are working at least 80 hours per month.

While the previous presidential administration agreed with the plan, President Joe Biden is seeking broader coverage, and Wilson believes there is some desire from state GOP lawmakers to explore full Medicaid expansion.

“The Republicans have shown that they want to discuss Medicaid expansion, and the debate is between partial expansion or full expansion,” said Wilson, who represents Brookhaven and also is running in 2022 for state Insurance Commissioner. “The governor clearly wants a partial expansion and we know that his current plan will not be approved by the Biden administration as is. So especially with these new federal incentives, it's the perfect opportunity for us to come back to the legislature and have this discussion now, during a full session.”

Full expansion would raise the income to 138 percent of poverty levels, or annual earnings of up to about $17,770 for an individual or just under $30,000 for a family of three. Also, as it stands, the federal government covers 67 percent of the cost. Fully expanded Medicaid would result raise that coverage to 72 percent, which means Georgia would save money.

Kemp can choose to add the expansion issue or any topic to his agenda for the special session any time before legislators are gavelled in. Wilson said Democrats will continue to apply pressure to the governor.

Rep. Becky Evans of Atlanta suggested, however, that engaging the expansion topic could benefit lawmakers and Kemp.

“It would be a very powerful statement if he said, “Okay, now is the time,” and included that in the call for this special session,” she said.

Rep. Kim Schofield, of Atlanta, lives with Lupus, the disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own tissues and organs. She said her condition was for a long time exacerbated by a lack of affordable healthcare that Medicaid could have provided.

“For years I spent going from hospital to hospital using the ER as my healthcare system,” Schofield said. “I’ve heard the cries of our people who live in that space not having access to quality healthcare.”

Her call to Kemp was direct.

“We should not have to beg anyone to do what’s right by the people they were elected to serve. Gov. Kemp, you’re bringing us back down here next week to do the people’s business. How about we do the people’s real business and fully expand Medicaid?”

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