Legislative Agenda

The past year has proven to be an incredibly difficult time for our nation and our state. Nearly one in four Georgians lack health insurance. Even more alarming, more than one third of Georgians living in poverty are uninsured. HealthSTAT seeks to raise awareness about the gaps in healthcare access that still exist. We advocate for all of our patients and for funding of those programs, such as Medicaid and CHIP, that allow those hardest hit in these tough economic times to continue to receive the care that they desperately need. We support interdisciplinary solutions for Georgia’s healthcare workforce and policies to help prevent chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes.

At HealthSTAT, these are our priorities:

#1) Increase access to healthy food and physical activity for Georgia’s children

• Nearly 40% of Georgia children are overweight, and our state has the second highest childhood obesity rate in the United States[1],[2]
• Georgia has already made great strides through bipartisan legislative action to address this issue, but more needs to be done
• Every child in the state should have access to healthy food, a place to play, and the resources to help them stay active, at school and at home
• We support funding to for nutrition education, to provide healthy choices in the schools, and foster initiatives for children to be more active

#2) Keep Georgia healthy with a sustainable Medicaid Program

• Medicaid protects Georgia’s elderly as the single largest payer of nursing homes in Georgia, covering 72% of all nursing-home residents[3]
• Medicaid protects Georgia’s children
  • 60% of those enrolled in Medicaid are children[4]
  • 2 in 5 children in Georgia are insured by Medicaid4
  • Ensure that when a family hits hard times, its children can get the care they need to stay healthy
• A sustainable Medicaid system is one that is simpler, more accessible, and easier to navigate.  We applaud efforts to revise the current system
• Sustainable Medicaid funding allows healthcare providers to continue seeing Medicaid patients

#3) Increase access to healthcare providers by funding more residency positions in the state.

• We support state funding for 400 medical residency positions in order to bring more doctors to Georgia and keep more doctors in Georgia.
• According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, Georgia ranks 41st in physicians per capita, and 45th for primary care physicians per capita[5]
• The average doctor from Georgia practices within 60 miles of where he/she completed residency[6]
• Gov. Deal’s proposal to provide state funding for Graduate Medical Education (GME) is a laudable measure to balance proposed federal cuts to GME
• Georgia medical students deserve an opportunity to continue their medical training in Georgia so they can continue to practice in their communities

#4) Provide Georgia patients with a Georgia-planned and run health insurance exchange, developed with input from their Georgia healthcare providers

• Exchanges are market-based solutions for keeping healthcare affordable for Georgians who do not receive health insurance through their employers
• Delaying planning for exchanges could lead to a federal government takeover, depriving Georgians of a voice in the process
• A state-commissioned panel, organized by Governor Nathan Deal, recommended developing a small business exchange to give everyday working Georgians affordable healthcare[1]

If you are interested in advocating for your patients, learning more about advocacy or health policy, and helping shape our legislative agenda, we encourage you to attend programmatic meetings, attend our coffee hours, and get involved! Please contact act@healthstatgeorgia.org for more information.

Donate to HealthSTAT’s “Mind the Gaps” campaign to help address the gaps in health care access that plague Georgia.