Georgia
Bookman: As Georgia hands out big tax breaks, state leaders flunk Medicaid expansion math – Georgia Recorder
There is no cogent economic, political, practical or moral justification for the state of Georgia to continue to reject expansion of Medicaid.
There are no more lame excuses, no more what-ifs or just-supposes. There is only cruel obstinance.
Forty states have implemented the program, bringing health-care to hundreds of thousands of their citizens and billions of federal dollars to their communities; only 10, including Georgia, continue to balk.
We’ve been told for a decade or more that Georgia couldn’t afford it, yet much poorer states such as Arkansas and West Virginia have managed to swing the expense, and our state’s coffers are now brimming with a $6 billion surplus. We can afford it.
Last year alone, we could afford to give tax subsidies to the film industry worth $1.3 billion, which according to a state audit generates less than 20 cents on the dollar in additional state revenue. We could afford to give Rivian $1.5 billion in state and local tax subsidies for its electric-vehicle plant. But we supposedly cannot afford $350 million to cover the state’s share of Medicaid expansion, even though it will bring back literally ten times that much in federal money and provide health insurance for almost half a million Georgians who today have no coverage.
That’s $3.6 billion in federal money left on the table by Georgia each and every year, money that among other things would help save struggling rural hospitals that are the economic and medical lifelines of their communities. Think of the lives that could have been saved and improved, the pain and illness eased over that time, but were not.
Over the years, we’ve also been warned that Obamacare would turn out to be a disaster, that it would be repealed and leave the state holding the bag. Well, that didn’t happen and isn’t going to happen. Some 40 million Americans now use Obamacare to provide health insurance, and for the most part they’re happy with it. In a poll last year for the Kaiser Family Foundation, 59% of American adults reported having a favorable opinion of Obamacare. These days, getting 59% of Americans to agree in support of anything is a minor miracle. And when Donald Trump recently issued a call for repeal of Obamacare should he win election, the response from his usually cult-like fellow Republicans was silence. They wanted no part of that argument.
In other words, like Medicare and Social Security, Obamacare is here to stay.
We also know that none of the 40 states that have expanded Medicaid has become the boiling cesspool of socialism predicted by Obamacare’s opponents. There are no “death panels,” no “death spiral” of costs, and most participating states have cut their uninsured population by at least half.
And what about Georgia and the other nine states that still refuse to participate?
Eight of those 10 states, including Georgia, have life expectancies below the national average.
Nine of the 10 have maternal mortality rates well above the national average, which is tragic because experts say 80% of such deaths are preventable. (Georgia has the nation’s seventh highest rate of maternal death.)
Nine of the 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid, including Georgia, have higher-than-average rates of premature death, meaning people who die before reaching age 75.
Most states that have rejected expansion, including Georgia, have higher-than-average rates of infant mortality. (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia was one of just five states in which infant mortality rose significantly from 2021 to 2022.)
Of the 10 states with the highest rates of uninsured, eight have rejected Medicaid expansion. (Georgia has the nation’s third-highest rate of uninsured.)
Confronted with such overwhelming evidence, Georgia Republicans offer no real explanation or justification for their stubborn refusal to help their own constituents.
They offer none because none exists. As in most other states that have refused expansion, they are captives to an archaic mindset that still sees working people not as human beings with human needs but as units of production that must be kept lean and uncertain to guarantee maximum economic efficiency.
Georgia
Georgia pair charged with murder after bartender’s dismembered remains found in lake outside Atlanta
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A Georgia pair have been charged with murder after allegedly slaughtering a bartender and dumping his dismembered remains in a lake, according to authorities.
Mario Andre Barber, 46, and Brittany Amber Baker, 42, were arrested on Monday for allegedly murdering Jamal Rashad Parker, 37, in a home outside of Atlanta, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Investigators discovered Parker’s remains in May in the Dog River Reservoir, located about 30 miles outside Atlanta.
Parker’s identity was confirmed using DNA comparison technology after his father contacted authorities to report that the victim’s tattoos matched his son’s ink, local station WSB-TV reported.
MINNESOTA MAN ACCUSED OF DISMEMBERING GIRLFRIENDS, HIDING BODIES IN STORAGE UNITS ENTERS PLEA
Mario Andre Barber, 46, and Brittany Amber Baker, 42, are charged with murder. (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators believe the two suspects killed Parker inside a home in Douglasville where Baker lived.
Late last month, investigators were observed leaving the home with a reciprocating saw and cleaning supplies, according to WSB-TV.
Police have not disclosed if Parker knew his alleged killers. However, a GoFundMe created by a family member described the pair as “people he knew and trusted.”
SUZANNE SIMPSON’S DNA FOUND ON MURDER SUSPECT HUSBAND’S SAW THAT CAN CUT METAL
A family member described Jamal Rashad Parker as a bartender, musician and artist with “a beautiful soul and spirit.” (GoFundMe)
The suspects pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday and are being held without bond. Both have lengthy criminal records, according to reports.
“I want them to be punished. And I don’t even think a life sentence is good enough,” Parker’s dad, Charles Parker, told WSB-TV outside the courthouse.
“It’s the kind of stuff you see on TV, but I mean … they had no remorse,” he added.
In addition to bartending at Ms. Icey’s Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta, the victim was a musician and artist with “a beautiful soul and spirit,” according to the GoFundMe page created to cover burial costs.
Investigators believe the two suspects killed the victim inside a home in Douglasville. (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
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“He loved life and the people he met along his journey in life. He was a musical artist, visual artist, and a professional bartender who enjoyed creating new drinks. This has totally devastated our family and friends and has left us heartbroken,” the fundraiser reads.
The Georgia Bulldogs are trying to flip cornerback recruit Preston Glasco just over a week after he committed to the Connecticut Huskies.
Glasco, a member of the class of 2027, announced his commitment to UConn on June 10. Since committing to UCONN, Georgia has hosted Glasco on an official visit and offered him a scholarship (back on June 18).
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound cornerback has excellent length and size. Glasco has impressive athleticism and ran a 4.47-4.57 second 40-yard dash (hand timed) during a recent workout with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Glasco plays high school football for Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. He’s unranked as a recruit, but that’s bound to change soon. The unranked cornerback plays against a stout level of competition at Grayson, who is a Georgia high school powerhouse.
Glasco has scholarship offers from Army, Yale, Boston College, Penn and more. He’s a great student and appears to be healthy after he was recovering from a surgery around this time last year. The talented Grayson cornerback has also gone on recent visits to South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Coach Kirby Smart and Georgia currently don’t have any cornerback commitments in the class of 2027.
Georgia football offers Preston Glasco
“Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Georgia,” Glasco said after Georgia offered him.
Glasco visits UGA football
Follow UGA Wire on Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Threads for more Georgia football recruiting coverage!
The Georgia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 20 drawing
16-20-44-48-50, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 20 drawing
Midday: 0-9-2
Evening: 9-6-9
Night: 2-4-6
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 20 drawing
Midday: 0-1-2-5
Evening: 1-8-1-5
Night: 5-4-6-0
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 20 drawing
Early Bird: 06
Matinee: 03
Drive Time: 09
Primetime: 06
Night Owl: 02
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Georgia FIVE numbers from June 20 drawing
Midday: 4-0-5-8-9
Evening: 3-3-9-2-2
Check Georgia FIVE payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from June 20 drawing
01-09-10-15-42
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 20 drawing
01-10-16-30-31, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes under $601: Can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery retail location. ALL PRIZES can be claimed by mail to: Georgia Lottery Corporation, P.O. Box 56966, Atlanta, GA 30343.
- Prizes over $600: Must be claimed at Georgia Lottery Headquarters or any Georgia Lottery district office or mailed to the Georgia Lottery for payment.
When are the Georgia Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3 (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 3 (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 3 (Night): 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash 4 (Night): 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Early Bird): 8 a.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Matinee): 1 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Drive Time): 5 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Primetime): 8 p.m. ET daily.
- Cash Pop (Night Owl): 11:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Georgia FIVE (Midday): 12:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Georgia FIVE (Evening): 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
- Fantasy 5: 11:34 p.m. ET daily.
- Jumbo Bucks Lotto: 11 p.m. ET on Monday and Thursday.
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. ET daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Georgia editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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