Sen. Warnock Applauds Inclusion of His Provision to Close the Medicaid Coverage Gap in Build Back Better Framework

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 -- Sen. Raphael G. Warnock, D-Georgia, issued the following statement:

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U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) issued the following statement after the White House unveiled the latest framework for the Build Back Better economic package that will create jobs and make historic investments in the nation's care infrastructure. The Build Back Better proposal includes a provision championed by Senator Warnock to close the Medicaid coverage gap in Georgia and the 11 other states where local politicians have refused to expand Medicaid, and will provide life-saving health insurance to 4 million Americans, including approximately 646,000 Georgians.

"Georgians showed up in historic numbers to change the shape of our federal government, and many did so with the hope that Washington would finally close the circle on the promise of the Affordable Care Act and make health care coverage accessible to the hundreds of thousands of Georgians who are currently uninsured. That's why I made closing the coverage gap a top priority in the Build Back Better plan, and have been pushing for months to make sure the final package includes a fix to close the coverage gap in Georgia and the eleven other states where hardworking families wake up every day without health care coverage their neighbors in 38 other states enjoy.

"I'm glad lawmakers in the House and Senate understand the importance of strengthening the Affordable Care Act and including health care coverage for working people in Georgia and the other non-expansion states in the economic package, and I'm going to continue working to ensure the full package makes it over the finish line with this provision intact."

Senator Reverend Warnock has been a vocal proponent for closing the Medicaid coverage gap in Georgia, and has been a champion in the Senate for including provisions in the Build Back Better plan to provide health care coverage for the approximately more than 4 million Americans, including 646,000 Georgians, who make too much money to qualify for traditional Medicaid coverage but make too little money to afford coverage on the marketplace. Senator Reverend Warnock has worked diligently to include provisions in the Build Back Better legislation that mirror the comprehensive and stable coverage benefits, affordability and eligibility criterion of the federal Medicaid program, to allow people to get covered and access care as quickly as possible. To that end, Senator Reverend Warnock has been working to expand the Affordable Care Act through the Build Back Better plan so that Georgians in the Medicaid coverage gap will be able to receive subsidies starting next year to allow them to purchase affordable health care on the marketplace.

Read the White House's full framework for the Build Back Better plan here (https://www.whitehouse.gov/build-back-better/).