LYNN'S LIST
 

LYNN’S LIST FOR NOVEMBER 1, 2021

Access to Affordable Healthcare

Do you know what is in the Build Back Better bill? One proposal benefits Georgians who fall into the coverage gap. The coverage gap is the area where a family makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Under the Build Back Better framework, the uninsured in Georgia and the other eleven states that did not expand Medicaid would receive federal subsidies to purchase insurance plans on exchanges. The framework provides eligible individuals $0 premiums, finally making health care affordable and accessible. Georgia could have had Medicaid expansion already but Governor Kemp refused to accept $1.9 billion in federal funding that was part of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. According to Cover Georgia, Medicaid expansion could provide affordable health coverage to an additional 473,000 Georgians. At the same time, we have 6,000 disabled Georgians waiting for Home and Community Based Services vouchers. Medicaid expansion could potentially eliminate that list.

State

Contact the Governor’s office (404-656-1776) with the suggested script:  My name is ---- and I am from ___. Georgia has the opportunity to fully expand Medicaid and provide healthcare coverage to almost a half a million more Georgians. We should not deny coverage to our citizens, especially during a pandemic. Expand Medicaid now.

Federal

Contact Senators Ossoff and Warnock with the suggested script:  My name is ----  and I am from ----.  Thank you for making Medicaid expansion a top priority under the Build Back Better bill. Georgians need and deserve to have healthcare insurance regardless of ability to pay. Let’s get the Build Back Better bill signed into law.

Contact Congressman Bishop or Scott with the suggested script:  My name is ---- and I am from ----.  Medicaid expansion is essential for the health of Georgians, particularly during a pandemic. We have waited long enough.  Let’s get the Build Back Better bill passed.

Healthcare.gov opens for business Monday, November 1st. If you or someone you know needs health insurance in 2022, now is the time to get covered!

Protection of the Environment

We advocated numerous times about titanium mining adjacent to the Okefenokee Swamp.  Sacred Waters is a film created by the Okefenokee Protection Alliance along with the National Parks Conservation Association. This short film explains the threat of the proposed Twin Mines near the edge of the Okefenokee better than I ever could.

Fair and Representative Elections

Local

Tuesday, November 2 is Election Day. To check your polling location and to find out what’s on your ballot go to https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do.

The 2022 midterm elections are one year away!  As always, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. Please stay safe. Get vaccinated if you are not. It’s time to get boosted if you were vaccinated six months ago (two months for Johnson and Johnson vaccines). Wear a mask when you don’t know the vaccination status of others.

The link to your legislators is here.