LISA CAMPBELL: In reply to Chairwoman Sharon Cooper’s “Georgia’s Smarter Path to Solving the Uninsured Problem”

How has Georgia's uninsured problem been "solved" when it's getting worse?

More than 1.2 million Georgians (13% of our population), lack health insurance.

This means hundreds of thousands of moms and dads cannot seek medical care for their kids when they're sick. More than a million of Georgia's working families cannot see doctors, dentists, psychologists, or other providers without health insurance. In Georgia, one in 10 adults or two in five children rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage.

Georgia's Pathway program has failed to meet the goals

Gov. Kemp's Pathways has not enrolled more people in healthcare insurance, and it is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. Here are the facts:

At the end of 2024, Pathways has cost taxpayers $86.9 million, AND twice as much of the money has gone to consultants rather than to healthcare.

A mere 7,463 participants have enrolled (as of September 22, 2025) — approximately 75% fewer than the state had estimated.

Pathways' 80-hour "work requirement" doesn't consider caregiving as eligible work (except for parents with children under the age of six), and many (especially women) cannot enroll because their work, caring for aging parents, children with disabilities or spouses, doesn't count. I sponsored HB 751 to waive this rule.

Georgia has lost approximately $3 billion in federal funds annually by not expanding Medicaid, totaling more than $21 billion as of 2025.

Health insurance rates in Georgia are skyrocketing

While doing nothing to address increasing health insurance rates (the average projected rate increase for ACA insurers in Georgia is 18%), Georgia's GOP majority have also refused to push for higher reimbursement plans for hospitals and doctors. A Kaiser Family Foundation study projects all Georgians could see all health insurance premiums jump to 40% under the federal budget bill championed by the GOP, meaning up to1 million Georgians will no longer be able to afford health insurance.

Hospitals and healthcare providers are closing

Changes to Medicaid included in the federal budget bill could force one in seven Georgia hospitals to close, costing close to $540 million, according to the American Hospital Association, and would result in 1.8 million individuals losing their coverage by 2034. A recent report indicates that nine of Georgia's rural hospitals are at "immediate risk of closure," with another 11 hospitals at "high risk." Without Congressional expansion of the federal budget bill, 37 nursing homes are at risk, and 45 healthcare facilities across 35 counties in Georgia will likely reduce services.

Work requirements and reporting mandates for Pathways eligibility are overly burdensome

When Georgia's Pathways program launched, it required participants to file reports on hours worked each month. Informal employment is typical for many low-income Georgians who work multiple part-time jobs or odd jobs, and many do not receive pay stubs that make work verification difficult, creating unnecessary barriers to healthcare.

The GOP is poised to end federal health insurance premium discounts that have provided a temporary bridge to affordable healthcare insurance

More than 500,000 Georgians could lose their health insurance, and an additional 340,000 could become uninsured if enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits are not renewed by Congress.

Georgia families with young children and our most vulnerable suffer the most

Georgians in the coverage gap include working families and parents caring for children, ranging from ages 19 to 64. Compared to other adults, they are more likely to have disabilities, be self-employed or work in jobs such as construction, retail, childcare workers, home health aides, personal care aides, school nutritionists, school bus drivers, and nursing assistants, where wages tend to be low and employers are less likely to offer health coverage.

Stigma around Medicaid and benefits exists — families don't receive cash when affordable health insurance coverage is extended

No one is getting a spending check when they qualify for Medicaid or receive affordable insurance rates — their medical professionals are getting paid for providing care and services.

Every single metric shows Georgia's Pathways and affordable access to healthcare insurance is failing.

Georgia ranks among the highest in the nation for the number of people without health insurance and ranks 45th for lack of access to quality healthcare.

But it doesn't have to be this way. We have a smart path we can take

We have $21 billion tax dollars that have not been allocated. We could allocate funds to fill the Medicaid coverage gap, helping people with lower incomes afford health insurance; stop writing a blank check to health insurance providers and decline astronomical rate increases; expand the criteria for work to include all caregiving; increase reimbursement rates to doctors and care providers; invest in supplies, staff and primary care services to expand community and VA healthcare.

Let's enact policies so that the right to healthcare — the right to live healthy and well — is available to all

Continuing to sugarcoat our problems will lead to an escalating crisis. Let's take the wise approach. Let's move to expand Medicaid and invest in community health.