Adopted by delegates to the Democratic Party of Georgia’s State Convention on August 27, 2022
WHEREAS every person in the state of Georgia and the USA deserves high quality health care; and
WHEREAS the number of Americans without health insurance before the COVID-19 pandemic was still nearly 30 million, with more than 40 million Americans underinsured, despite important gains made since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act; and
WHEREAS Georgia has a lower health system performance score than 37 other states; and
WHEREAS Georgia is among the worst performing states regarding mortality amenable to healthcare; and
WHEREAS Georgia is failing to get its fair share of ACA money and 700,000 more Georgians would be covered if Georgia fully expanded its Medicaid program; and
WHEREAS expansion of Medicaid under the ACA would create 50,000 new jobs for Georgians, and
WHEREAS many people delay seeking needed health care due to an inability to pay, leading to a sicker and poorer population in the long run; and
WHEREAS the ever-increasing costs of health care, which are further elevated due to the on-going pandemic, may challenge our already strapped state and municipal budgets; and
WHEREAS long term COVID-19 related treatment could cost uninsured patients tens of thousands of dollars; and
WHEREAS in order to equitably and effectively address the health care burden, we must urge the expansion of health insurance coverage to provide comprehensive coverage to every resident of the United States without any cost sharing; and
WHEREAS Medicare for All would provide national health insurance for every person in the United States for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs; hospital, surgical and outpatient services; primary and preventive care; emergency services; reproductive care; dental and vision care; and long-term care; and
WHEREAS Medicare for All would provide coverage without copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would slash bureaucracy, protect the doctor-patient relationship and assure patients a free choice of doctors; and
WHEREAS polls show that a majority of Americans support Medicare for All and expansion of Medicaid; and
WHEREAS Medicare for All will guarantee that all residents of Georgia will be fully covered for health care without copays, deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs, and would save millions in taxpayer dollars now spent on premiums that provide often inadequate health insurance coverage for government employees; and
WHEREAS the quality of life for the residents of Georgia will vastly improve because they would be able to get the ongoing care they need, instead of waiting until they have a medical emergency that could upend their lives as well as further burden local resources;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Georgia Democratic Party expresses its enthusiastic support for immediate full expansion of Medicaid in our state and urges the Georgia General Assembly to fully expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act with no waivers and calls upon each of our state legislators to work toward its immediate expansion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Georgia Democratic Party asks Congress to enact legislation to provide universal, comprehensive health coverage with zero cost-sharing for patients and enthusiastically supports Medicare for All as referenced in the Medicare for All Act of 2021 (H.R. 1976 and S. 4204) and calls on our federal legislators to work toward its immediate enactment, assuring appropriate and efficient health care for all residents of the United States.
PDF version:
https://pnhp.org…