Full Medicaid expansion needed to retain Georgia’s physicians

KevinMD September 26, 2024
Brendan Pulsifer, Surabhi Beriwal, MD, Tracey L. Henry, MD, MPH, Toby Terwilliger, MD and Jack Bernard

Georgia was ranked 5th worst place to practice in a recent Medscape article (“Best and Worst Places to Practice 2024”), using five criteria: physician compensation, cost of living, malpractice premiums, the health of the state’s residents, and physician burnout levels. As current and future physicians and health advocates, this column will add context by detailing our experiences practicing in Georgia.

The article identified challenges that Georgia physicians encounter. Particularly concerning is Georgia’s poor performance regarding the health of the state’s residents and physician burnout levels. Both issues could be ameliorated via full Medicaid expansion.

It is no surprise that three of the five worst-ranked states for practicing are among those that have not expanded Medicaid. In Georgia, refusal to expand...

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