Commentary: The economic case for Medicaid expansion

A week ago, state Rep. Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine) wrote a GHN Commentary on Medicaid expansion, attacking the specifics of one proposed model while reiterating his party’s longtime objections to expansion of any kind in Georgia.

Laura Colbert
Laura Colbert

Republican opposition to expansion may have recently frayed a bit, as Spencer himself noted, but advocates of the idea still face an uphill fight.

In a new GHN Commentary, Laura Colbert of the advocacy group Georgians for a Healthy Future says expansion would be beneficial, not just to low-income residents but to the state as a whole. It would be a sound investment in Georgia’s workforce and economy, she contends.

“While it is not a silver bullet, empowering low-income Georgians with health insurance through expansion of the Medicaid rolls would be a vital first step in supporting rural hospitals and attracting doctors,’’ Colbert writes.

Here’s a link to her Commentary.

Georgia Health News welcomes Commentary submissions. If you would like to propose a Commentary piece for Georgia Health News, please email Andy Miller, editor of GHN, at amiller@georgiahealthnews.com