Georgia Republicans Debate Medicaid Expansion

Republicans Debate Medicaid Expansion, moderated by Tom Sabulis.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The participants in this debate are Jack Bernard, a former healthcare executive, Paul Broun, Representative of the 10th congressional district of Georgia, and Charlie Bethel, a Georgia State Representative.

Bernard argues in favor of extension based upon the belief that "the mark of a great nation is how it takes care of the less fortunate."

Broun argues that the needs of Georgia citizens require saying no to Medicaid expansion and a state healthcare exchange.  He argues in favor of a bill he has cosponsored to freeze Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program spending and convert Medicaid into a block grant program though he does not discuss the prospects of his legislation being enacted into law.

Representative Bethel makes the case that Georgia cannot afford expansion using a projected cost to the state of Georgia of $4.5 billion over a 10 year period.  He does not address the recent conclusion of a Georgia State University economist that the benefits of expansion could be $40 billion over that same time period.