Georgia Democrats slam Kemp's kibosh on full Medicaid expansion

ATLANTA — Democratic leaders of the Georgia Senate on Thursday lambasted Gov. Brian Kemp for his decision not to fully expand Medicaid to poor Georgia adults.

Their remarks, in a press conference held in front of a shuttered hospital, come after Kemp last month told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia” that not only did he oppose expanding Medicaid in the recent legislative session, but he was “in the no camp” for full Medicaid expansion in 2025 as well.

“This political gamesmanship and obstinance has horrific real-world consequences for the hundreds of thousands of Georgians who remain uninsured and unable to access quality, affordable health care,” said Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic caucus.

The Democrats also challenged statistics that Kemp laid out to defend his position, saying that they were false.

Kemp is holding off on fully expanding Medicaid to all Georgia adults in order to work for the success of his own Medicaid program, called Georgia Pathways to Coverage.

Estimates vary, but perhaps 290,000 Georgia adults remain uninsured because Georgia has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — to cover all its poor. Instead, Kemp devised a tailored solution that he forecasted would insure 90,000 Georgians. However, only 4,000 have enrolled since the program launched last July.

Kemp has said his Pathways program will encourage people to work and move up in life. In order for people to enroll, they must prove they’re working or doing certain activities, such as volunteering for a registered nonprofit. But not all types of work count. For example, working to care full-time for a disabled relative does not count. People who are too disabled to work but haven’t been federally declared disabled also don’t qualify.

Because of the restrictions on who qualifies, the Democrats said Thursday the Pathways program was “anti-family,” and was preserving Kemp’s political image at the expense of Georgians.

In a response, Kemp ignored the broadsides from Democrats. He instead focused on the press and the data.

“After the AJC was faced with undeniable data showing the incredible progress our state has made in providing Georgians with greater access to affordable, quality health care coverage, it is no surprise that they would bend over backwards to give credit to the (Biden) administration responsible for trying to block the state’s work every step of the way,” Kemp spokesman Garrison Douglas said in a written statement.

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