| This Juneteenth, Black Georgians of color deserve better!
Despite living in a state that is recognized as a global hub of health care innovation, employment, and investment, Black Georgians continue to experience worse health than white Georgians. The ways that our laws are structured is one cause for this inequality.
Black Georgians still lack equal access to affordable health care in our state. Almost 15% of Black Georgians are uninsured, compared to 11.9% of white Georgians who are uninsured. Additionally, Black Georgians are more likely to have medical debt in collections than white Georgians, due in part to higher uninsured rates.
Fortunately, our state leaders have an opportunity to reduce this inequity. The most effective action they could take is to expand Medicaid to cover uninsured adults in Georgia. This action would cover an estimated 140,000 Black Georgians and more than 490,000 Georgians total.
A gift for Georgia dads? Medicaid expansion!
For more than a decade, 400,000 Georgians have not been able to meaningfully access Georgia’s health care system because our state has not expanded Medicaid to all low-income, uninsured adults. One in four people in this coverage gap are Georgia parents. When dads and other parents don’t have health coverage, their children’s well-being also suffers. The health of Georgia’s children depends on their parent’s ability to care and support them–a task that is much easier for healthy, thriving parents.
Parents can only stay healthy if they can visit a doctor when they are sick, get affordable medicines at the pharmacy, and can be screened early for illnesses like cancer.
GHF and Cover Georgia are celebrating Juneteenth and Father’s Day all month long by letting state leaders know how Black Georgians and dads would be better off with Medicaid expansion. Tell your state legislators today that ALL Georgians deserve better access to health care with Medicaid expansion! |
July 2023
