Georgia’s budget reserves have fallen by nearly half in two years, and the incoming governor’s top priority is a Medicaid expansion expected to cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Today, only 48% of Georgia’s physicians accept new Medicaid patients, and 151 of our 159 counties are federally designated as medically underserved. Adding hundreds of thousands of people to the rolls won’t change that.
What would actually improve access is repealing certificate of need and expanding what nurse practitioners and physician assistants can do.
We explain how in this week’s commentary.
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest 🗞️
For only the second time since 1875, Georgia will have divided state government, and this version has no precedent. The Senate has never before been at partisan odds with the governor, and the governor-elect is expected to push hard for Medicaid expansion and universal pre-K.
Artificial intelligence is the latest in a long line of inventions that hand human work to machines, and history suggests ordinary people will come out ahead. The anxiety is familiar. So is the payoff when people are free to choose new tools for themselves.
Georgia can fund literacy coaches and Promise Scholarships at the same time. Critics have set the two programs against each other, but both are small next to what the state already spends on public schools.
Where Georgia’s data centers get built comes down largely to local land-use and zoning rules. This explainer walks through how those decisions get made and who makes them.
Peach Picks 🍑
Georgia families have until Nov. 30 to apply for a Promise Scholarship for the spring semester. Eligible students zoned to the state’s lowest-performing public schools can receive up to $6,500 per year for the 2026-27 school year for tuition, tutoring and other approved expenses.
Gov. Kemp announced that SupplyHouse, a leading online plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies distributor, will invest an estimated $19 million to establish new logistics operations near Locust Grove, creating 330 new jobs in Henry County.
Senate Republicans chose new caucus leaders after two incumbents lost their seats. Sen. Tim Bearden, R-Carrollton, will become majority caucus chairman and Sen. Drew Echols, R-Gainesville, vice chairman for the 2027-28 term.
Atlanta’s 900-page zoning rewrite is going back to the drawing board after an outside review said it wouldn’t meet the city’s housing needs. The reviewer, zoning expert Sara Bronin, warned the draft would create a confusing permitting system that could produce worse outcomes than the current code, which dates to 1982.
Featured Publication📊
Georgia will soon have a new governor, a new House majority and dozens of first-term lawmakers. The Foundation’s Guide to the Issues gives them a starting point. Its nine chapters cover housing, taxes, healthcare, Medicaid, K-12 education, technology and innovation, regulatory reform, tort reform and workforce freedom.
In the Media🌟
Georgia’s shrinking reserves leave less room for new priorities. Foundation President Kyle Wingfield told the AJC the budget lacks the flexibility to simply reprioritize, and a major new program would likely mean raising taxes.
Policy Director Chris Denson discussed the uncertain future of Georgia Pathways amid recent Medicaid expansion talks with WSB-TV. The state has asked the federal government to go from “picking up 66 cents on the tab to 90 cents” as the program nears its Dec. 31 expiration, a request it previously denied in 2019.
As Democrats take control of Georgia’s utility board, Policy Analyst J. Thomas Perdue told the Daily Caller that data center reviews shouldn’t turn into “open-ended delays or broad moratoriums.” He said Georgia’s existing rules already make large users cover the added cost of serving them.
Know a student interested in state policy?🎓
We’re looking for a paid Government Affairs intern this spring through the Koch Internship Program. The intern will spend the 2027 session in Atlanta tracking legislation, attending hearings and drafting policy one-pagers. Students and recent graduates are welcome to apply, so please forward this to anyone who comes to mind. Learn more and apply today.
Quote of the Week🌟
Surpluses tempt lawmakers to spend, and spending that starts as one-time money rarely stays that way. Over the past few years, Georgia used its surplus mostly for tax rebates and one-time projects, which kept recurring commitments in check. With reserves now down by nearly half, the next General Assembly should treat each new program as permanent from day one, and ask whether the state can pay for it every year, not just this one.