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Health care emerged as the priority issue for voters this election season. Historic voter turnout and engagement have highlighted the universal desire for affordable, quality health care. Every Georgian wants to be able to see a doctor when they get sick. Every community wants to safeguard their hospital and emergency room. Yet too many of Georgia’s rural hospitals have closed in recent years, and too many Georgians can’t afford health care.

Georgia’s newly elected leaders will have the opportunity in 2019 to embrace a bold solution that would put health insurance cards in the pockets of almost half a million Georgians: Medicaid expansion. While elections come and go, the health care crisis confronting Georgia remains. Seven rural hospitals have closed in Georgia since 2013, and more than half of our remaining rural hospitals are financially struggling. Georgia’s uninsured rate of 14.5 percent is one of the highest in the country, and the uninsured rate in rural Georgia could to climb to 25 percent within the next few years. Substance use disorder and the opioid crisis are devastating communities statewide, demanding a sustained, concerted response.

A strong majority of Georgians support Medicaid expansion. At least seven in ten Georgians think our state should expand Medicaid eligibility, according to polls from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and 11Alive. Every day Georgia refuses expansion, our state loses $8 million in federal funding for health care.

Although Election Day has passed, the civic responsibility to educate leaders and engage neighbors continues. Send a quick email to your lawmakers about the importance of Medicaid expansion and why you care about this issue. Then share your support for Medicaid expansion with media outlets in your community through a letter to the editor. Visit the tools page for information to guide your thoughts and continued engagement on this important issue.