This week, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation had the opportunity to testify before the House Study Committee on Improving Access to Internal Medicine in Underserved Areas.
Our presentation highlighted how other states are leveraging a range of healthcare professionals to help close gaps in physician access, an issue Georgia must address urgently.
Georgia currently has about 28,000 practicing physicians, but by 2030 it will need more than 8,000 more to keep pace with demand, including nearly 2,100 in primary care alone. The challenge is compounded by an aging population and the looming retirement of many physicians.
The state has already taken steps: adding medical schools, funding new residency slots, and applying for federal dollars to expand graduate medical education. Yet, training new physicians takes years. To bridge the gap in the meantime, Georgia can learn from other states that are innovating.
What you need to know:
- Physician Shortages: Georgia’s doctor-to-patient ratio is already 23% worse than the national average and will widen without action.
- Training Investments: $20 million was recently added for new graduate medical education programs south of the Fall Line, plus $3 million for 150 new residency slots. The state has also applied for $2.5 billion in federal support.
- Alternative Providers: Other states utilize internationally licensed physicians, graduate assistant physicians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants to expand care.
- Policy Roadblocks: Georgia has considered—but not yet passed—legislation to allow foreign-trained doctors provisional licenses. Expanding scope of practice for nurse practitioners, physician assistants and pharmacists also remains contentious but could improve access.
Georgia has made important progress, but more reforms are needed to ensure residents in rural and underserved communities receive the care they deserve.
We talk about what we can do in more detail in this week’s commentary.
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest 🗞️
Few topics stir as much debate as income taxes. “The rich don’t pay their fair share” is a claim repeated so often that it has become a cliché. But is that true? We have the details.
Since schools closed their doors in March 2020, the United States has seen a dramatic rise in students who are chronically absent. What began as an emergency measure to “flatten the curve” has left lasting marks on school culture, student habits and academic performance.
The Heritage Foundation’s 2025 Education Freedom Report Card evaluates all 50 states. Georgia ranked 14th overall, slipping five spots from 2024, as other states expanded universal choice programs.
A local nonprofit challenging the City of Calhoun’s ban on homes smaller than 1,150 square feet won an initial legal victory. Tiny House Hand Up sought to use donated land to build modest, affordable cottages, but the city’s restrictions initially blocked their plans.
In this year’s legislative session, Georgia had an opportunity to address its ever-growing regulatory code and reduce regulatory burdens placed on its citizens and businesses. Although the “Red Tape Rollback Act” passed the Senate, it ultimately failed to become law in Georgia. Regulatory reform will have another chance next session.
Peach Picks 🍑
Georgia received $531.2 million in federal aid in a block grant program for Hurricane Helene relief a year after the storm swept through the state, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J. Harper said this week.
Underwood Ammo will invest $41 million in building a new manufacturing facility, creating 120 new jobs, in Effingham County. Based in the United States, Underwood Ammo produces handgun and rifle ammunition for hunting and self-defense.
Georgia students beat its national counterparts on SAT scores, averaging 1029 to the national median of 996, the Department of Education said. In 2025, 55% of students took the college admission test.
Georgia broke tourism records for the third consecutive year and ranked No. 5 in the nation for overnight visitation for the fifth year in a row. Tourism is the second-largest economic contributor to the state.
One in eight Georgia jobs are tied to the state’s two ocean ports, and the number of those jobs is growing, according to new research and state data. The ports provide $43 billion in personal income, about 7% of the state total.
Quotes Of Note 🌟
“Courage is grace under pressure.” – Ernest Hemingway
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny that can inspire others to rise above their own struggles.” – C.S. Lewis
“Act as if what you do makes a difference, because it does, and the world is waiting for your contribution.” – William James
One More Fact 💡
If you’ve purchased ground beef or steak recently, you’ve undoubtedly had sticker shock. Beef prices are setting records across the country as the U.S. cattle herd shrinks to its lowest level in decades (and Americans’ beef consumption continues to climb).
Nationally, the herd stood at 86.7 million head on January 1, 2025, the smallest since the 1950s. Beef cows, the foundation of future supply, fell to 27.9 million.
Georgia is following the same trend. The state’s cattle inventory slipped to about 990,000 head in 2025, down from just over 1 million two years earlier. Beef cows in Georgia have fallen from nearly 478,000 in 2023 to about 455,000 today, with fewer replacement heifers entering the herd.
The result is sharply higher prices. National fed steer averages have climbed from roughly $186 per hundredweight in 2024 to more than $230 in 2025. In Georgia, feeder steers now top $300 per hundredweight, up 30–40% from last year.
With both state and national herds still shrinking, cattle prices – and your ribeye – are likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future.