Rep. Jim Marshall: "It’s pennywise and pound foolish for us to be short on [PeachCare]. This program saves us money in the long run.”

From the AJC's Political Insider:

[Today] U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon, a conservative Democrat, [while addressing] members of the House [and thus in] front of Speaker Glenn Richardson, who has proposed new limits on the reach of PeachCare, . . . said Georgia should be expanding — not contracting — the reach of the health insurance program of the children of the working poor.

This year, Marshall said, PeachCare “will be funded at least as well as its funded now, and it’s quite likely that it’s going to receive even more funding.

“There’ll be all kind of initiatives to expand the program, all kinds of different ideas for expanding the children’s health insurance program,” he said. “And I think Georgia needs to be in synch with that.”

Georgia, said Marshall . . . “could potentially lead the nation in coming up with different ways of trying to get more and more of these kids from poor families insured. It’s pennywise and pound foolish for us to be short on this program. This program saves us money in the long run.”