Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns has outlined health care priorities for the upcoming legislative session, with a focus on expanding the state’s health care workforce as a way to improve access and affordability.
Burns said the House will continue working to increase access to “quality, affordable healthcare” by expanding medical education opportunities and growing the number of health care workers in Georgia.
The proposal centers on training and workforce development rather than changes to insurance coverage rules or health care pricing.
What the Plan Addresses
Georgia faces shortages of doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, especially in rural areas.
State leaders have long argued that expanding medical school slots, residency programs, and training pipelines could help bring more providers into underserved communities. Supporters say more providers could reduce wait times, expand access to primary care, and ease pressure on emergency rooms.
Burns’ focus on workforce growth aligns with previous efforts by state lawmakers to invest in medical education and keep graduates practicing in Georgia.
What the Plan Does Not Address
While workforce shortages are a real issue, the plan does not directly address several of the state’s most persistent health care problems.
Georgia continues to rank near the bottom nationally for insurance coverage, with one of the highest uninsured rates in the country. Many residents delay care because they cannot afford insurance or out-of-pocket costs, regardless of whether providers are available.
The proposal also does not address hospital pricing. Georgia does not regulate what hospitals charge, leaving prices to private negotiations between hospitals and insurance companies. Patients often do not know the cost of care until after treatment.
Insurance affordability is another unresolved issue. With federal Affordable Care Act subsidies having expired, many Georgians have already seen sharp increases in premiums. The Speaker’s proposal does not include measures to limit premium growth or create state-level protections for those getting insurance through Georgia Access, the state’s version of healthcare.gov.
Access Versus Affordability
Health care experts often draw a distinction between physical access to care and financial access.
Expanding the workforce may improve the number of available providers, but it does not guarantee that patients can afford to see them. Uninsured patients and those with high deductibles may still rely on emergency rooms for care, leading to unpaid hospital bills that are often passed on to insured patients through higher costs.
Other states have paired workforce investments with broader coverage expansion, hospital price controls, or insurance regulations aimed at limiting cost growth. Georgia’s current proposal focuses on only one part of that equation.
The Broader Context
Burns’ goals come as lawmakers face growing pressure over health care costs, hospital closures in rural areas, and rising insurance premiums.
Whether workforce expansion alone will improve affordability remains an open question. The proposal addresses provider supply but leaves larger structural issues—insurance coverage, hospital pricing, and cost controls—largely unchanged.
As the legislative session unfolds, lawmakers may consider whether additional measures are needed to address the financial barriers that continue to shape how Georgians receive care.
“If it takes you six weeks to get an appointment with a doctor who works out of a refurbished Arby’s, well then, welcome to the club.”
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
