Sens. Reverend Warnock, Ossoff, Rep. Bourdeaux Lead Georgia Democratic Delegation in Urging Biden Administration to Rescind Harmful Health Care Waiver, Protect Affordable Care Access for Georgians

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Representative Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-GA-07) led every Democrat in Georgia's congressional delegation in calling for federal health care regulators to rescind Part II of Georgia's section 1332 waiver, which approved the creation of the Georgia Access Model--a system that would restrict access to health care coverage for an estimated 646,000 Georgians by eliminating access to HealthCare.gov in Georgia.

In a new letter to the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), and the Department of Treasury, Senator Warnock and his colleagues expressed their on-going concerns that Part II of the approved Georgia's State Innovation Waiver risks adding to the already-high rates of uninsured Georgians and would hamper continuous access to quality and affordable health care. The Georgia Democratic lawmakers also pointed to an increase of insured individuals in Georgia because of the American Rescue Plan, which provided more options in the health care marketplace, making coverage more affordable and accessible.

"The country is in the midst of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the greatest health threats in our lifetime, and Georgia should be focused on improving access to health care, not limiting it. Instead, this attempt to undermine the ACA and push Georgians into health plans that are less comprehensive and more expensive is callous and cruel. We urge you to rescind Part II of Georgia's State Innovation Waiver and continue to work with the state of Georgia to expand and improve access to health care," the lawmakers wrote.

The Georgia Access Model will not go into effect until 2023. If Part II is rescinded, there will not be a disruption for individuals who enroll in the marketplace. The new effort follows months of noncooperation from Georgia's state government, which has yet to provide an analysis of how elimination of the marketplace would impact enrollment given the passage of the American Rescue Plan.

Senator Warnock, alongside Senator Ossoff and Representative Bourdeaux, has long worked to close the coverage gap in Georgia. In addition to these lawmakers, the letter was also signed by: U.S. Representatives Sanford Bishop (D-GA-02), David Scott (D-GA-13), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) and Nikema Williams (D-GA-05).

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