- Ndubuisi Onwumere
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2026
Contact:
Sens. Lucas, Jones, Jackson, Parent, and McLaurin Introduce Legislation to Expand Medicaid in Georgia
Bill would expand Medicaid to provide coverage for roughly 500,000 Georgians
Atlanta, Ga. — Monday, January 12, Senator David Lucas (D-Macon) introduced SB 380 to expand Medicaid coverage to roughly 500,000 Georgians. The bill was cosponsored by Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II (D-Augusta), Senate Minority Whip Kim Jackson (D-Atlanta), Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Elena Parent (D-Atlanta), and Senator Josh McLaurin (D-Atlanta).
“Affording to see a doctor is far too difficult and stressful. The last thing a person who is sick needs to worry about is the mountain of debt their visit is going to cost them. Hospitals and clinics, particularly in rural communities, are closing because they can’t afford to keep their doors open. That literally kills communities.” Sen. Lucas said. “We have to expand Medicaid because health care is not a privilege. It is a right and it’s high time to protect it for Georgians. ”
SB 380 would authorize appropriations for obtaining federal financial participation for medical assistance payments to providers of Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Click HERE to read the bill.
Background
Sen. David Lucas has been an outspoken fighter for expanding Medicaid to provide coverage to hundreds of thousands of Georgians. He has introduced bills to expand healthcare access for the last several legislative sessions.
Expanding Medicaid is not solely providing access to health care for thousands of more Georgians. It’s also about providing economic stability, strengthening communities, and improving public health. Expansion would create 51,000 new jobs in the health care sector, reduce Georgia’s uninsured rate—currently the third highest in the country—and keep the doors of rural hospitals open.
As of June 2025, 1.9 million Georgians are enrolled in Medicaid or Peach Care for Kids, including more than 1.3 million children.
In July 2023, Georgia launched the Pathways to Coverage program, which provides a new Medicaid option to uninsured, low-income adults who can report working, going to school, or engaging in other qualifying activities.
The program, which is backed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp, is the nation’s only Medicaid program with a work requirement. As of August 2025, it has only enrolled a little more than 9,100 people and administrative spending has outpaced spending for health care services to Georgians.
Senator David Lucas is available for comment
###