Rick Jackson pledged to close Georgia's Medicaid coverage gap and cut income taxes in half at a Sandy Springs campaign event. The Republican gubernatorial candidate unveiled a five-point platform at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North on Tuesday, Sept. 8, speaking to a small, invitation-only crowd.

Jackson, who founded healthcare staffing firm Jackson Healthcare, headquartered in Alpharetta, called the package his "Jackson action plan." Capitol Beat News reported the promises were "broad in scope but narrow in detail."

The centerpiece was what Jackson called "intelligent Medicaid expansion," building on Gov. Brian Kemp's existing Pathways to Coverage program. That program limits access by requiring participants to work, attend college, care for others or volunteer.

"On day one, I will close the coverage gap with intelligent Medicaid expansion," Jackson said at the Sept. 8 event, as reported by the Georgia Recorder. "We will cover those who need it the most and keep work requirements in place for those who are able."

Jackson said his plan would cover Georgians who earn too much for traditional Medicaid but too little for private insurance. He said he would not move the roughly 500,000 people on subsidized private plans onto a government plan. The Georgia Recorder reported that Jackson did not explain how he would secure the enhanced federal Medicaid funding his plan relies on, given that federal rules require full expansion to unlock that money.

Details were thin.

Jackson's health platform also calls for 500 new inpatient psychiatric beds statewide and more resources for prenatal and postpartum care.

On taxes, Jackson proposed cutting income taxes by half, eliminating the tax on tips, suspending the gasoline tax during price spikes, and ending taxes on residential and small-business energy. He said he would require local governments to hold a public hearing and take a recorded vote before raising property taxes. That proposal could affect DeKalb County and its cities, including Dunwoody and Brookhaven, where rising property values have driven tax bills higher.

Jackson also pledged to speed up building permits and inspections, block data centers that would raise local utility costs, and freeze tuition, room and board at Georgia's public colleges and technical schools.

On public safety, Jackson criticized his Democratic opponent, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. He said her tenure "offers a warning about what happens when police morale and staffing are not treated as priorities," according to the Augusta Chronicle.

Bottoms has pushed for full Medicaid expansion. She argued Georgia is leaving more than $700 million in federal funds on the table by not fully expanding the program, the Georgia Recorder reported on Wednesday, Sept. 9.

A poll cited by the Augusta Chronicle — a Quantus Insights survey conducted July 29-Aug. 1 — showed Bottoms leading Jackson 46.4% to 44.9%, with affordability topping voters' concerns. A more recent poll, reported by Atlanta News First on Aug. 24, showed the race essentially tied, with Jackson at 46.3% and Bottoms at 46.2%. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Georgia's voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 5.