Rural Georgians Want Medicaid, but They’re Divided on Stacey Abrams, the Candidate Who Wants to Expand It
“Georgia remains one of seventeen states to reject expanded federal Medicaid funding. In November, Stacey Abrams, a Democrat, will face the Republican Brian Kemp in the state’s gubernatorial election, which could change the landscape of rural health care in forgotten places like Fort Gaines and throughout Georgia. (In a poll released earlier this month, Kemp led Abrams by two points, within the margin of error.) The number of Georgians unable to afford insurance, without Medicaid expansion, is nearly half a million. Kemp, who has been Georgia’s secretary of state since 2010, opposes expansion. Abrams, on the other hand, introduced the Expand Medicaid Now Act, in 2016, as the state’s House minority leader, and she recently released a detailed, six-page platform that calls for expansion as well as more services for seniors and the disabled, a broadband-enabled telemedicine system, medical apprenticeships, and doctor relocations. The plan also calls for the protection of the Affordable Care Act.”