Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Medicaid Expansion Opposition Enters Absurd Territory February 25, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 2 Comments on Medicaid Expansion Opposition Enters Absurd Territory Georgia’s House Judiciary Committee this week gave approval to a puzzling one-two punch of legislation aimed at distancing the state from expanding Medicaid eligibility. House Bill 990 seems straight forward enough. It attempts to require the General Assembly to give approval before the governor could expand income eligibility thresholds for Medicaid. The second bill the […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Roadblock to Medicaid Expansion a Threat to Middle Georgia February 24, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney As published in the Macon Telegraph on February 23, 2014. What would you think about a new state law that threatens to cost the 11-county Middle Georgia region 3,300 jobs and about $1.8 billion in federal funding over 10 years? What if at the same time, the Medical Center of Central Georgia – one of […] Read more »
Author Fact Sheets Health Justice Library Policy Areas Timothy Sweeney Medicaid Expansion Could Cover at Least Half of Working Age Adults in Most Georgia Counties February 21, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney If you are an uninsured person who lives in Bibb County and earns less than $16,100, or are in a family of that makes less than $27,300 a year, you and about 52 percent of county residents like you could be eligible for Medicaid under new expansion guidelines. That’s if Georgia leaders choose to expand […] Read more »
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Opponents Inflate Cost of Medicaid Expansion in Georgia February 19, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 2 Comments on Opponents Inflate Cost of Medicaid Expansion in Georgia Georgia lawmakers continue to overstate the cost of Medicaid expansion in the state as they press ahead with a new bill to hand the General Assembly control over the decision. Not only is the cost of expansion exaggerated, but also left out of the conversation is the substantial tax revenue that could be generated to […] Read more »
Author Claire Suggs Fact Sheets K-12 Education Library Policy Areas Sales Tax Flexibility Not Enough to Solve Georgia’s School Funding Crisis February 19, 2014 / January 16, 2020 by Claire Suggs Bill Analysis: House Resolution 1109 and House Bill 802 The General Assembly is considering putting a constitutional amendment to a statewide vote to give school districts greater flexibility to spend sales tax money. Districts continue to struggle financially due to ongoing cuts in state funding, including an austerity cut of about $750 million planned for […] Read more »
Author Fact Sheets Health Justice Library Policy Areas Timothy Sweeney Adding Up the Net Cost of Medicaid Expansion – $353 Million for 10 Years February 18, 2014 / January 17, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney If Georgia expands Medicaid today, more than $33 billion of new federal funding will flow to the state over the next 10 years, which would generate about $1.8 billion in new state revenue during the decade, according to forecasts from Gov. Nathan Deal’s office and a recent Georgia State University study. This new revenue would […] Read more »
Alan Essig Author Blog Budget and Taxes Lawmakers Tinker Slightly with Governor’s 2015 Budget as Session Speeds Along February 14, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Alan Essig Neither snow, nor sleet seem likely to slow Georgia’s 2014 legislative session.The sine die gavel is now scheduled to drop March 20, 2014. The General Assembly is set to return from its snow break Monday to resume its work on its only constitutionally required bill, the 2015 fiscal year budget, or HB 744. The state […] Read more » State Budget
Author Blog Health Justice Timothy Sweeney Why Erect New Barriers to Accessible Health Care? February 14, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Timothy Sweeney | 4 Comments on Why Erect New Barriers to Accessible Health Care? Georgia lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday as a snow storm closed in on the state that carries the potential to make it less likely 500,000 uninsured people will get better access to health care in the future. The bill, HB 990, would create a requirement that the state Legislature approve Medicaid expansion. Today the governor […] Read more »
Author Blog Taifa Smith Butler Worker Justice Purpose Vs Short-Term Profit: CVS’ Lesson for Georgia February 12, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Taifa Smith Butler | 1 Comment on Purpose Vs Short-Term Profit: CVS’ Lesson for Georgia Since the Great Recession, the public has given extra scrutiny to business interests and recognized that, left to their own devices, they can give in to temptations to take short cuts to profits that damage their own companies, hurt the economy and many families along the way. Corporate decisions don’t often weigh the public good. […] Read more »
Author Blog Budget and Taxes Wesley Tharpe Georgia Lawmakers Still Flirting With Dangerous Tax Shift Ideas February 10, 2014 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe The debate over changing Georgia’s tax system is quieter than usual at the Georgia General Assembly this year. Still, some efforts are afoot to push Georgia in a radical tax direction over time. Two resolutions gaining traction would put new tax restrictions in the state constitution. Senate Resolutions 412 and 415, sponsored by Senate Pro […] Read more » State Taxes
