There's a glimmer of hope for broader health coverage in Georgia, but also a good chance of a fizzle

Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert, Ga., seen here on Oct. 7, 2022, closed in 2020. Some Republican legislative leaders say they want to examine broader health care coverage through Georgia's Medicaid program in 2024, which could aid the finances of rural hospitals. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Medicaid expansion was long politically impossible in Georgia.

Now it’s just unlikely.

Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns says he wants lawmakers to consider more health coverage in Georgia as their session begins Monday. But he’s careful not to label it Medicaid expansion, and certainly not “Obamacare.”