Georgia
Closing the health care coverage gap would boost Georgia’s economy • Georgia Recorder
Nearly half a million Georgians – small business owners, farmers, veterans, and part-time, hourly, and gig workers – cannot afford private health insurance but earn just above the threshold to qualify for Medicaid.
Closing this coverage gap is not just good health care policy, it is also good economic policy. It helps not just those in need of coverage; it benefits all Georgians. Our state’s business leaders recognize that closing this gap is critical if we want a healthier, more productive workforce and want to ensure the long-term economic vitality of our state.
New research finds that closing the coverage gap would spur more than 51,000 new jobs. New jobs in outpatient and inpatient care, as you might expect, but even more new jobs outside of health care in fields such as construction, retail trade, administrative and support services, and restaurant services. Georgia households would see an average annual increase of nearly $900 in personal income when the coverage gap is closed – a statewide total increase of $3.6 billion in the pockets of Georgians. Georgia’s middle class would grow and strengthen.
The research by Regional Economic Models Inc., commissioned by the Georgia Health Initiative, projects that closing the coverage gap would stimulate significant new consumer spending and new investment in Georgia’s economy. As a result, the state’s economic output would increase by $9.4 billion and our gross domestic product by $5.5 billion in the first three years. And the benefits would extend to every part of our state. Rural Georgians are estimated to receive as much as one-sixth of the state’s total economic benefits – a projected gain of more than 5,600 new jobs and $477 million in additional personal income.
Closing the coverage gap is also critical for our ailing rural hospitals, which provide essential community services. Nine rural Georgia hospitals have closed since 2010, and as many as 18 more are now struggling and in danger of closing or dramatically reducing services. When a rural hospital shuts it doors, county residents are forced to travel hours to access care, and the community loses an important employer.
Closing the coverage gap will provide more reliable reimbursements for rural hospitals, so they can remain financially stable. It will also incentivize more primary care providers and specialty doctors to provide services in rural parts of our state, as many counties don’t have a single doctor who is a pediatrician or obstetrician.
When people lack access to preventative care and treatment for chronic conditions, their health suffers, leading to increased absenteeism and reduced productivity. Without insurance, Georgians delay seeking medical attention until their conditions escalate, resulting in more severe illnesses that require longer absences from work. This not only harms individuals and families but also strains our workplaces and drives up health costs for everyone.
Closing the coverage gap is fiscally responsible. It would bring home $3.6 billion of our federal tax dollars rather than sending them to other states. Washington would pay 90% of the cost of closing the coverage gap plus provide a $550 million bonus for each of two years. State savings in child welfare and law enforcement would also result.
Seventy-six percent of Georgians, including 63% of independents and a majority of Republicans, support closing the coverage gap. Still, at the end of its session in March, the Georgia General Assembly voted to create a commission for further study. We are pleased that the issue remains active but urge legislators to plan now for bold action in the next session, not another report that goes nowhere. The economy of our state demands no less.
22 sea turtles released into the ocean at Jekyll Island
Mystic Aquarium, a Connecticut-based aquarium and animal rescue organization, released 22 sea turtles into the Ocean at Jekyll Island.
A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.
In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.
Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.
Here’s what to know.
What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?
Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.
“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”
While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.
One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.
Where are visitors staying?
The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:
- The Cloister at Sea Island
- Jekyll Island Club Resort
- St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.
Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.
What can you do in the Golden Isles?
Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:
- Biking under live oaks
- Kayaking through marsh creeks
- Horseback riding along the beach
- Watching sunsets over the water.
Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.
The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.
For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…
“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”
Key allocations in the amended budget include:
- Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
- Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
- Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
- Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
- Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.
Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”
MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.
According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.
RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’
WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:
The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.
DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”
Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)
However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.
RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout
GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.
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