“These Are the Tragic Consequences of the Games Politicians Play”: Senator Reverend Warnock Shares Story of Underinsured Georgian from Newton County on Senate Floor in Push to Expand Medicaid

Senator Warnock continued “Medicaid Saves Lives” series with floor speech spotlighting Lorie Davis, a Newton County resident living in the coverage gap, who passed away last September

Today’s speech follows Senator Warnock’s previous floor speeches highlighting Georgians living in the coverage gap, underscoring the need to pass his Medicaid Saves Lives Act legislation in next economic package

Last week, Senator Warnock highlighted the story of Amy Bielawski, a small business owner living in DeKalb County – Read more in the AJC

This week, Senator Warnock led 29 lawmakers in push to Biden Administration and Congressional Leaders to improve health outcomes by including the Medicaid Saves Lives Act in forthcoming economic package

Senator Reverend Warnock: “As members of this body, we should be ashamed that in the richest nation in the world, a country with all of our resources, all of our medical technology that some citizens would choose not to seek treatment – even when they know better – because they fear they cannot afford the price tag of life-saving care.”

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

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) returned to the Senate floor today to spotlight the story of another Georgian who would have benefitted from an expansion of Medicaid. In his remarks, Senator Warnock shared the story of Lorie Davis of Newton County, telling his colleagues that Lorie’s story is just one of the many examples of under- or uninsured low-income Americans being denied affordable health care because they live in Georgia or one of the 11 other non-expansion states.

Lorie worked as a trauma nurse at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital and lived in Covington, GA, with her husband Bob. Lorie was diagnosed with pelvic adhesive disease—which pushed her to leave her nursing profession. During this time Lorie could not afford health insurance, but made too much to qualify for Medicaid. Last year, Lorie passed away from illnesses that may have been treatable with reliable access to affordable health care coverage.

In addition to sharing Lorie’s story, Senator Warnock also urged the Senate to pass his new legislation, the Medicaid Saves Lives Act, as part of the forthcoming economic package being worked on by the Senate. Senator Warnock’s legislation would provide the same full benefits of Medicaid and cover the nearly 500,000 uninsured Georgians and 4.4 million uninsured Americans in non-expansion states. In his remarks, Senator Warnock encouraged his colleagues to pass his “life-saving” legislation, and to consider the faces of people—like Lorie—behind the Senate’s policy making.

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

Key Excerpts from Senator Warnock’s floor remarks:

“I have come to the Senate floor with the same message, week after week because I think it is vital and important. With all the incentives on the table for my home state of Georgia to expand Medicaid—it is past time for Georgia and the other 11 non-expansion states to finally expand Medicaid.

“My home state of Georgia has the opportunity to provide affordable health care to 646,000 people who could qualify.

“In the richest country in the world, in 2021, and amid a once-in-a-century pandemic that has both illuminated and exacerbated the consequences of longstanding disparities in healthcare, too many Georgians are still struggling to get what they deserve and what is already available if we would just expand Medicaid.

“We do policy but we can only do policy an effective manner when we keep in front of us the human faces behind the policy we would create. Or the consequences of real people when we fail to do what we were sent here to do.

“As members of this body, we should be ashamed that in the richest nation in the world, a country with all of our resources, all of our medical technology that some citizens would choose not to seek treatment – even when they know better – because they fear they cannot afford the price tag of life-saving care.

“This is the human face of our public policy. These are the tragic casualties of the games that politicians play

“And so we need to pass the Medicaid Saves Lives Act – it’s not just the name of the bill. It’s actually true: Medicaid saves lives.”

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

“Before I begin, I want to pause an effective leader of the labor movement and a real champion for working families, Richard Trumka. Richard Trumka believes in the dignity of work and he also believed in the dignity of workers and that they should share in the prosperity that they provide for others. His family is in my prayers, and as we remember and honor his legacy as a vital leader in the labor movement and the larger quest to make us a more just society providing opportunity for all of us.

“M. President, I am back on the floor of the Senate because I believe health care is a human right.

“And it is certainly something that the richest nation on the planet can afford to provide for all of its citizens.

“My home state of Georgia has the opportunity to provide affordable health care to 646,000 people who could qualify.

“But, instead of allowing Georgians to continue to suffer and be cut off from care while politicians are playing games, I introduced the Medicaid Saves Lives Act—this is legislation that would provide people in states like mine who have not expanded Medicaid an alternative path to health coverage.

“And for far too many, access to affordable, reliable, and continuous health care is quite literally the difference between life and death.

“So I want to share the story—and remember the life—of a Georgian who fought to expand Medicaid as she and other Georgians lived in the coverage gap. She advocated for herself and others like her.

“This is Lorie Davis—and her husband Bob— both from Covington, GA.

“Lorie was one of our heroes. She spent much of her life serving her neighbors as a trauma nurse in the Grady Memorial Hospital. I’ve been to that hospital time and time again, as a pastor and now as a Senator. I’ve seen firsthand the important work that they do. She was a trauma nurse. There at Grady.

“While working as a health care professional in Georgia, Lorie was diagnosed with pelvic adhesive disease.

“The chronic pain associated with this condition eventually pushed her to leave the nursing profession.

“After that, while also working to manage her own chronic condition, Lorie struggled to maintain steady employment in the restaurant industry.

“Health care professional. No longer able to serve in her profession as trauma nurse, working as hard as she could in the restaurant industry. She believed in working. She understood the dignity of work.

“But while working, she could not afford health insurance. She made too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford other insurance plans.

“While in this limbo, Lorie had to wait many years for her social security disability claim to be adjudicated, and she finally qualified for benefits in 2017.

“But even then, she was unable to qualify for Medicaid because of her and Bob’s combined marital income.

“And this left Lorie in the coverage gap. Unable to purchase coverage because it was financially out of reach.

“Lorie went without health insurance for years, relying on her own medical training, and free health care clinics, to treat her chronic condition.

“A trauma nurse who had cared for others, unable to receive any care.

“Then, in August 2020, Lorie began feeling ill. Her condition got noticeably worse. Fearful of costs, she delayed seeking health care.

“Unable to follow the advice that she no doubt had provided to other patients: seek healthcare early – many things are preventable if you can get there earlier rather than later. She was not able to follow her own advice.

“I want us to think about that: she put off seeking the care she needed because she was afraid she would not be able to afford it.

“The next month—in September of 2020—Lorie was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.

“While there, she learned, sadly, that she had lung cancer—a treatable condition had she received an earlier diagnosis.

“Put together, it was too much. On September 17, 2020, Lorie passed away.

“This is the human face of our public policy. These are the tragic casualties of the games that politicians play.

“As a pastor, I am praying for Lorie’s family as they mourn her unspeakable and perhaps unnecessary loss and the legacy she left behind.

“As a Senator who believes that health care is a human right, a sacred obligation, I refuse to stop fighting until Georgians like Lorie Davis have access to the care that they need—when they need it.

“M. President—like Lorie, who advocated members of this body for health care during her lifetime, I am committed to gaining ground in this fight to improve access to health care for Georgians in every corner of the state.

“She can no longer speak. We must be her voice. She’s not the only one.

“There are millions of hardworking people all across our country, who went to school, played by the rules, and they don’t have access to life-saving care, costing them their lives, and costing us more money.

“And so we need to pass the Medicaid Saves Lives Act – it’s not just the name of the bill. It’s actually true: Medicaid saves lives.

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

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

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