Senator Reverend Warnock Lifts Up Story of Uninsured Albany, GA Patient in Impassioned Senate Floor Speech, Urges Congress to Pass Medicaid Expansion Legislation

Senator Warnock delivers floor speech spotlighting Cynthia English, a Georgian living in the coverage gap in Albany, GA

Last week, Senator Warnock introduced the Medicaid Saves Lives Act to create a new Medicaid-style federal program that would allow access to affordable health care services for Americans in non-expansion states

Senator Reverend Warnock: “But today, I come to the Senate floor to talk not so much policy as much to talk about the people behind the policy efforts that we lift up. We should always endeavor to see the human face of the public policy we put forward.”

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Mr. President behind the public policy we have to remember the stories of real people—people like Cynthia because there are millions of Cynthias in Georgia and across our nation who need the Medicaid Saves Lives Act and until we get this done, I’m going to keep lifting up Cynthia’s story, and the stories of other Georgians who would benefit from this critical, life-saving legislation”

***WATCH FULL VIDEO OF SENATOR WARNOCK’S FLOOR REMARKS HERE ***

Washington, D.C. – Approximately one week after introducing legislation to expand access to affordable health care in Georgia and other states that haven’t expanded Medicaid, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) took to the U.S. Senate floor to spotlight the story of a Georgian living in the coverage gap, amid a once-in-a-century pandemic. Senator Warnock shared the story of Ms. Cynthia English of Albany, telling his colleagues that Cynthia’s story is just one of the many examples of uninsured Americans being denied affordable health care because they live in Georgia or one of the 11 other non-expansion states. Cynthia suffers from diabetes and hypertension, and despite her low income, has been denied Medicaid and other health care programs repeatedly.

Senator Warnock also urged the Senate to pass his new legislation, the Medicaid Saves Lives Act, that would provide the same full benefits of Medicaid and cover the nearly 500,000 Georgians and 4.4 million Americans across the country who are uninsured. Senator Warnock encouraged his colleagues to pass his “life-saving” legislation, and consider the people behind the policies being debated in the Senate.

Watch full video of Senator Warnock’s floor remarks HERE.

Key Excerpts from Senator Warnock’s floor remarks:

“Medicaid saves lives and also saves jobs, as it turns out the right thing to do is the smart thing to do. I’m glad that this plan is on its way to being included in the forthcoming economic package—and I’m going to keep pushing to make sure that it happens.”

“But today, I come to the Senate floor to talk not so much policy as much to talk about the people behind the policy efforts that we lift up. We should always endeavor to see the human face of the public policy we put forward. So I want to talk today about Cynthia English. She’s a truck driver in Albany, Georgia, which is a town in the southern, rural part of our state.”

“Without health insurance, Cynthia says she couldn’t go to the doctor, and that due to costs it was hard to pay for medication. To put it bluntly, Cynthia said “ When you’re sick in Georgia, they still really don’t help you if you don’t have any health insurance or Medicaid.”

“If it wasn’t for the Good Samaritan Clinic, Cynthia says she wouldn’t be here—but it’s still not enough. Grateful for them but that’s, that’s not enough, that clinic does amazing work, but that’s not enough.”

“Mr. President in other states, Cynthia would be eligible for Medicaid. And according to Cynthia, having additional support provided by Medicaid would help her pay for her medications and get all the care that she needs. Hardworking woman, doing all the right things, cannot get the coverage that she needs.”

“Mr. President behind the public policy we have to remember the stories of real people—people like Cynthia because there are millions of Cynthias in Georgia and across our nation who need the Medicaid Saves Lives Act and until we get this done, I’m going to keep lifting up Cynthia’s story, and the stories of other Georgians who would benefit from this critical, life-saving legislation.”

Full Transcript of U.S. Senator Reverend Warnock’s floor speech below:

“Mr. President, since my first day here in the Senate—and even before that—one of the issues I have been working to address is how my own home state of Georgia, where state leaders have been digging in their heels, refusing to expand Medicaid, how it is that citizens can somehow provide affordable health care to their families, nearly 500,000 Georgians who are uninsured and in the Medicaid gap

“That’s why last week I introduced the Medicaid Saves Lives Act—legislation that would create a program almost identical to Medicaid that is administered by the federal government, and would allow people in states like Georgia who haven’t expanded Medicaid an alternative path to health coverage. Because we know that Medicaid literally saves lives.

“I was proud to introduce this legislation with my colleagues Senators Baldwin and Ossoff, and that it has the support of health care stakeholders in Georgia and from across the country. Entities like the Georgia Hospital Association and Grady Health System understand how expanding Medicaid in Georgia will improve health outcomes across the state, strengthen our rural hospitals and health care workforce, and create good-paying jobs.

“Medicaid saves lives and also saves jobs, as it turns out the right thing to do is smart thing to do

“I’m glad that this plan is on its way to being included in the forthcoming economic package—and I’m going to keep pushing to make sure that it happens…

“So I want to talk today about Cynthia English. She’s a truck driver in Albany, Georgia, which is a town in the southern, rural part of our state—and she turns 46 in just a few days. Her birthday is actually this coming Saturday, Happy Birthday Cynthia

“Cynthia, hardworking woman, suffers from diabetes and hypertension. She says that she has previously applied for Medicaid and other health care programs, but has been repeatedly denied because she does not have any children, she does not have any dependents. So she’s been denied in spite of her relatively low income. She is in the coverage cap.

“She says those denials made her feel like she couldn’t get any type of help. In fact, Cynthia says that in the past her diabetes and her blood pressure have had her in “real bad shape”—so much so that complications with her diabetes once sent her to the emergency room. Think about the cost of that for her and for all of us. Unable to get the kind of routine care that all of us need, but especially if you have a chronic illness like hypertension or diabetes. That doesn’t make sense for her or for us that she’s in this situation.

“Thankfully, Cynthia was able to find the Good Samaritan Clinic in Albany—as a pastor I have to say that is a good name for a clinic, the good Samaritan clinic in Albany. It offers health care to people like her in the coverage gap, and she’s been able to receive care for her conditions—including a pinched nerve in her neck and back caused by sciatica, another condition that went undiagnosed for far too long due to her lack of health insurance

“…and until we get this done, I’m going to keep lifting up Cynthia’s story, and the stories of other Georgians who would benefit from this critical, life-saving legislation.

“Thank you, Mr. President—I yield the floor.”

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Title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only. A noted theologian and social justice advocate, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in 2021 and serves on the Senate Agriculture, Banking, and Commerce committees, as well as the Joint Economic Committee and Senate Special Committee on Aging