Sunday Reads – Dec. 5, 2021
As much as we try, Covid variants and partisan politics will affect our daily lives for a very long time. So there’s no getting away from them this week as we nip at variants of all kinds in health and politics and Christmas shopping. And then there is great optimism from a story about how neighbors can rise to meet challenges and work for a better community for their children.
Omicron isn’t a stranger any longer
For those who were just mildly annoyed when your phone’s autocorrect turned the word “Omicron” into “Unicorn”, now it’s time to be vigilant as the most recent COVID-19 variant has been identified in 11 states, including Georgia. Omicron has raised concerns among health experts because of its unusually high number of mutations. That has the potential to make it more transmissible and render existing Covid vaccines less effective. Last week, we didn’t know of any U.S. cases, but the testing system is finding them quickly through genomic sequencing. What can we do? Get vaccinated, wear your mask indoors with other people and be cautious.
What will spark health care discussion?
Former state legislator Stacey Abrams officially declared her entrance into the race for Georgia governor last week. Gov. Brian Kemp, who must weather a primary first, has already thrown a few barbs her way, and now the campaign starts in earnest. Voters, along with anyone with a digital ad-serving device, are still in recovery from the 2020 double-overtime Senate runoff races. Ad messaging with substance from all the candidates would be appreciated as the games begin.
Abrams signaled her campaign will be about expanding access to Medicaid health insurance for Georgians, something Kemp has flatly refused to support as being too costly. Georgia’s health care and access rankings are in the septic tank, and Covid has taken a deep toll on the short- and long-term needs for its citizens. Will 2022 be the year we all stop and consider what it will take to find quality consumer-friendly care in one of the top states in the country to do business?
No matter which approach you favor, Georgia’s citizens must determine how they want their elected representatives to focus and execute on a challenge that endangers people now and will affect generations to come. In Coastal Georgia, 18% of your neighbors have no health insurance, according to the U.S. Census. That costs everyone. For those who are looking for solutions to bridge the gaps between government and care providers, here’s an idea several states are using — adding health insurance signup to tax forms to reach those who are hard to find and help in other ways.
On the rise: Prices
While we were all stuck at home early in the pandemic, it was a lot easier to save on gas since places we’d normally go were closed or had limited service. Live entertainment was gone, schools and workplaces were closed and there were few places to go. But now, the Covid layoff has subsided and some of the things that weren’t happening then are affecting us now — for instance, parts for larger consumer items like dishwashers and cars weren’t being made or shipped, so there’s a shortage now. The consumer price index for the South grew 6.6% for the 12 months ending in October. The index for all items less food and energy increased 5% over the past year, while the energy index out-stripped everything as it jumped 29.3%. The food index increased 5.1% over the past 12 months. November’s numbers should arrive late this week.
So, here we are at this place where states have more money to spend but it costs citizens more for the basics: to drive and to eat. (Georgia has a $2.2 billion surplus even after the state’s rainy day fund was filled to the legal limit of $4.3 billion.) And let’s don’t even think about how much more holiday cheer and travel will cost us. This story from Stateline describes specific measures many states are taking to protect consumers by changing tax and other policies. Rural areas, especially, are seeing greater impacts since people drive more miles to get and deliver food and services. Combined with the higher death tolls from Covid in those areas, legislators are looking to make a difference quickly as we move closer to the 2022 elections.
Your second cup: Citizens making change
If you doubt that people who care can make substantial community change, then you must meet the members of A Better Glynn. A story this week from The Current’s editor-in-chief Margaret Coker about the citizens group and the work it’s doing in Glynn County is worth your time.
The story is part of a project from The Current that’s been in the works for nearly a year as we collected public records for police stops, suspicious person reports and 911 calls following the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. Several stories have come from it but this one, as part of a partnership with The Washington Post Magazine, shows the work that dedicated neighbors can do and the influence they can have to make a difference in how things work over time.
It’s the kind of story The Current was built to do, and one we believe shows that communities can work together to solve problems together.
Enjoy.
First Georgian tests positive for Omicron variant of Covid
Omicron has raised concerns among health experts because of its unusually high number of mutations. That has the potential to make it more transmissible and render existing Covid vaccines less effective.
2022 governor’s race sets up health care as a pivotal issue
Poll in 2019 showed 71% of Georgians supported Medicaid expansion.
A simple tool has brought health insurance to thousands
Maryland income tax forms have included a box that taxpayers can check to indicate they do not have health insurance. With the taxpayer’s permission, the state comptroller submits the household’s income and family size data to the state’s health insurance exchange for possible enrollment in Medicaid or subsidized private insurance.
Georgia’s policies, lack of Medicaid expansion contribute to worsening health outcomes
No state in the nation is exempt from a burden of illness that stems from lack of access to care, poor quality of available care and preventable mortality, but the disparities in Georgia are more pronounced, according to the latest scorecard from the Commonwealth Fund. This story also appeared in Georgia Public Broadcasting Part of […]
Price spikes prompt some states to enact policies to protect consumers
Yet the highest inflation spike in three decades has many state and local policymakers digging for ways to ease the strain on families’ pocketbooks, as they consider measures as varied as imposing rent controls and suspending taxes on gasoline.
‘It seemed like our lives didn’t matter.’
Generations of Black residents in Brunswick and Glynn County moved away to find opportunity and equality. A Better Glynn wants to improve things at home instead.
Support non-partisan, solutions-based investigative journalism without bias, fear or favor on issues affecting Savannah and Coastal Georgia.
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