ATLANTA – State Representative Jason Spencer (R-Woodbine) today commented on the U.S. House of Representatives’ recently proposed plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act and urged Georgia’s Republican Congressional Delegation to amend the health care plan.
“The plan released by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week falls far short of repealing ObamaCare, keeping large parts of the law in place, including the disastrous Medicaid expansion,” said Rep. Spencer. “Our state has made the right decision and declined to expand Medicaid to a new group of non-disabled, working-age adults. We’ve done so on the belief that our safety net should be preserved for the truly needy, not transformed into an open-ended welfare program for those who can work. As a medical professional myself, I am very concerned about the effects the proposed health care bill would have on our great state and our neediest neighbors.”
Georgia is one of 19 states to decline Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and if passed, the new Republican health care plan would not prohibit states from expanding Medicaid before 2020, thus, codifying the Roberts’ opinion in NFIB v. Sebelius (2012). In addition, newly eligible Medicaid expansion enrollees would be able to stay on the Medicaid rolls and be “grandfathered” into the program going forward if they do not let coverage lapse.
“I urge Georgia’s congressional leaders to amend the bill and stop all new Medicaid enrollment expansion in states that have already expanded Medicaid, repeal the ability for new states to expand Medicaid through ObamaCare and give states the authority to institute Medicaid work requirements for non-disabled, working-age adults,” added Rep. Spencer.
Representative Jason Spencer represents the citizens of District 180, which includes Camden, Charlton, and Ware counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves as the Secretary of the Special Rules Committee. He also serves on the Game Fish & Parks, Human Relations & Aging, Juvenile Justice, and Science & Technology committees.
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