SR 344: Senate Study Committee on a Single-payer Healthcare Program; create

Georgia has not expanded Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act, and this resolution notes that leaves hundreds of thousands of Georgians uninsured. Pointing to other countries and some U.S. states that have studied or adopted single-payer healthcare systems, in which the government (rather than private insurers) pays for care, the resolution creates the Senate Study Committee on a Single-payer Healthcare Program. The committee would include five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, plus the commissioners of public health, community health, and behavioral health and developmental disabilities (or their designees). It would study the issues described in the resolution and recommend legislation if it chooses. Legislative members get standard travel allowances, and other members can be reimbursed for expenses through their own agencies. The committee must file any approved report before it is abolished on December 1, 2025.

• Creates the Senate Study Committee on a Single-payer Healthcare Program to study whether Georgia should adopt a single-payer healthcare system.
• Sets the committee's membership at five senators plus the state commissioners of public health, community health, and behavioral health and developmental disabilities, or their designees.
• Directs the President of the Senate to name a legislative chairperson who calls all meetings.
• Allows the committee to recommend legislation and requires any approved report to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate before the committee is abolished.
• Sets legislative member pay using the standard allowance in O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 and limits it to five days unless more are authorized.
• Abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

Members of the Georgia Senate appointed to the committee, the state commissioners of public health, community health, and behavioral health and developmental disabilities, and more broadly uninsured Georgians and anyone interested in how the state might restructure healthcare coverage.

The resolution itself does not create a single-payer system; it sets up a committee to study the idea and report findings or proposed legislation. Any real change to how Georgians get healthcare coverage would depend on what the committee recommends and whether future legislation follows.

• Paragraph (1) creates the Senate Study Committee on a Single-payer Healthcare Program.
• Paragraph (2) sets membership: five senators appointed by the President of the Senate, plus three named state health commissioners or their designees, with a legislator as chairperson.
• Paragraph (3) gives the committee power to study the issues raised in the resolution's preamble and recommend action or legislation.
• Paragraph (5) sets pay rules: legislative members get standard allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five days absent further authorization; other members get expense reimbursement only.
• Paragraph (6) requires any approved report or, absent that, meeting minutes to be filed with the Secretary of the Senate before abolishment.
• Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025.

1. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-04Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Nan Orrock (D, SD-36)Primary sponsor
• Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-41)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
• Nabilah Parkes (D, SD-7)

• single-payer healthcare
• Medicaid expansion
• health insurance
• legislative study committees
• Georgia Senate