Senate Resolution 201
By: Senators Harrell of the 40th and Echols of the 49th
A RESOLUTION
Urging Governor Brian Kemp to include full-time care givers for the elderly, sick, and
disabled in the Georgia Pathways expansion; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, over 1 million Georgians are family care givers who provide regular, unpaid
care to parents, spouses, and others who are elderly, have a chronic health condition, and/or
are living with a disability; and
WHEREAS, the economic value of that unpaid care is estimated to be over $16 billion in
Georgia alone; and
WHEREAS, family care givers in low-income communities can help prevent or delay the
need for more costly Medicaid services, such as a hospital or nursing home stay, for those
they care for and thus provide significant support to the state's Medicaid program; and
WHEREAS, low-income family care givers are less likely to have access to high-quality,
affordable health care coverage, and about one-third report having neglected their own health
care due to their care giving responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, adding family care giving for an adult relative as a qualifying activity under the
Pathways to Coverage program could increase program enrollment and help ensure
low-income family care givers get the health care that they need so that they can focus on
their care giving responsibilities, which decrease the burden of more high-need and costly
Medicaid enrollees on the state budget.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
urge Governor Brian Kemp to include full-time care givers for the elderly, sick, and disabled
in the Georgia Pathways expansion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the
press.