Issue Position: Healthcare

Issue Position

1.5 million Georgians lack health insurance putting Georgia behind most states. We must expand Medicaid and provide access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Georgians.

When it comes to maternal healthcare, Georgia is experiencing a maternal health care crisis; we rank last in the nation for maternal mortality at more than 2.5x the national average. The situation is even more critical for African American women, who are dying at twice the rate of white women in the state and six times the rate for white women nationally. We live in a state where rural hospitals are closing, and half of Georgia's counties lack an OB-GYN. A problem exacerbated by our refusal to approve Medicaid expansion and increase regulations around women's reproductive rights.

I remember what it was like to care for a newborn, and the challenges I faced balancing my postnatal recovery with the needs of my new baby. Adjusting to nursing, lack of sleep, and emotional imbalances seemed like a surmountable task some days. Pregnant women and new moms in Georgia already face enough stress and responsibility. Worrying about whether they can afford to see health care providers for treatment and support, or finding facilities for local care should be the least of their concerns. I strongly support efforts to extend healthcare coverage for new moms and programs to boost maternal care because the health of our state starts with healthy moms.

We owe it to Georgia's women, their babies, and their families to do better. To address this crisis, we must make pre- and postnatal care affordable and accessible across the state, and we must end dangerous restrictions on women's healthcare.

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