NEWS & OPINIONS
Government healthcare benefits create another welfare cliff that hurts the poor
Imagine being a worker on government assistance because your job doesn’t quite meet your bills. Then, finally, you get that raise to put you over the top and relieve some stress. The one catch: You lose assistance needed for things like health insurance. Now, you...
Expanding Medicaid is not enough to help middle class families in Georgia
Some in Georgia are pushing for a full expansion of Medicaid. As the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) team has outlined before, this step would do more harm than good for low-income Georgia families. But there’s another narrative unfolding that tends to not get...
The health care crisis is debilitating for those in poverty
The high cost of quality health care is a debilitating expense
for low-income and poverty-stricken families. In order to enable as many Georgians as
possible to achieve the Success Sequence, we must enact meaningful health care
insurance reform now.
GCO releases new reports describing the best path forward for Georgia’s federal healthcare waivers
Today, the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) has released two new reports detailing precisely how the Georgia governor and lawmakers should enact federal healthcare waivers that will reform a healthcare system disproportionately impacting the poor. In What Does an...
Join GCO In Sharing Your Inspirational Family Photos
The kids are on summer break and the parents are looking to make the most of the time together. What do you do? Family road trip? Go to the park for a barbecue? Head out to the local ballpark and catch a game? Family Activities Equals Family Values Whatever you do...
Best-selling author Tim Carney offers insights on America’s economic, cultural problems
America is in an economic and cultural crisis, as millions lack the tools that make a fulfilling life: A great education, stable job, and healthy relationships. The chief question, of course, is how to best connect our neighbors with opportunities that lead to a...
Successes During the 2019 Legislative Session
As the dust settles on another Georgia legislative session, we are pleased to report that the overall results for bills that GCO worked on to achieve passage were positive and encouraging. Education Opportunities Expand Once Again For starters, in the education...
Ready to work, right out of high school
Georgia’s public-school teachers should be proud of the work they’ve done to raise graduation rates in our state. Since 2011, graduation rates have increased by more than 14 percent, with 81.6 percent of the class of 2018 graduating. It’s an...
Strategies to reignite the power of work
The economy is booming: Employment is at record-breaking levels, and income and wages are finally rising again. Yet something is missing. Despite all the positive economic news, a significant percent of Georgians (and Americans broadly) have been left behind. This...
Three reasons why Medicaid expansion is bad for Georgia
By Erik Randolph, Contributing Scholar Expanding Medicaid to reduce the number of Georgians without health insurance is an idea continually being promoted. Here are three good reasons why it would be bad for Georgia. Reason Number One: Expanding Medicaid...
Welfare reform in Georgia poised to gain ground
We know that people do better in life when they experience the benefits of meaningful work and healthy relationships. But we also know that so many cultural forces are stacked against success in these two areas. One of the biggest is the American welfare system, which...
School choice is giving hope to Georgia’s kids
Georgia legislators are currently considering HB 301 which would enable families to customize their children's education to meet specific learning needs with an Education Scholarship Account (ESA). Experience and common sense tell us that no single system can meet the...
MEDIA MENTIONS
Lawrenceville organization gets money for coronavirus help | AJC
A Gwinnett County resource to help residents struggling through the coronavirus pandemic just got a boost in funding. The Lawrenceville Response Center, which opened last April, this month received more than half a million dollars in additional funding, including...
CBO: $15 minimum wage would lead to 1.4 million lost jobs | THE HIGHLAND COUNTY PRESS
A $15 minimum wage would result in 1.4 million jobs lost and disproportionately hurt younger workers and those with less education, a new Congressional Budget Office report says. President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other Democrats have proposed raising...
New federal budget report boosts $15-an-hour minimum wage | GEORGIA RECORDER
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a report Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers. The report could help...
Broadband expansion gives Gov. Kemp rural toehold | 11ALIVE
Internet access in rural areas has been a problem for years – the pandemic only magnified the challenges. The issue could make or break Kemp's re-election next year... "It's tied directly into economic development," said former state Rep. Buzz Brockway, who now...
Study: Education savings account program in Georgia could result in nearly $16B in long-term benefits | CROSSVILLE CHRONICLE
Giving parents the ability to choose what school their children attend could save Georgia taxpayers money and generate billions of dollars in economic benefits, according to a new study. Released this week by conservative think tank the Georgia Public Policy...
Study: Education savings account program in Georgia could result in nearly $16B in long-term benefits | THE CENTER SQUARE
Giving parents the ability to choose what school their children attend could save Georgia taxpayers money and generate billions of dollars in economic benefits, according to a new study. Released this week by conservative think tank the Georgia Public Policy...
Welcoming Dr. Cayanna Good to the Georgia Center for Opportunity board of directors
Welcoming Dr. Cayanna Good to the Georgia Center for Opportunity board of directors The Georgia Center for Opportunity team is thrilled to announce that Dr. Cayanna Good, assistant commissioner of adult education for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), has...
Infrastructure investment essential to economic mobility | THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
Georgians believe strong political leadership on transportation issues is a critical component of our economic success. According to polling from the Georgia Transportation Alliance, 93% of Georgians use automobiles as their primary source of transportation, 43%...
