Warnock Welcomes Bill Lee, South Georgia Rural Hospital CEO, as State of the Union Guest

Evans Memorial Hospital faces losing critical services, including their ICU services because of Washington Republican's One Big Beautiful Bill Act

The hospital currently faces a potential $1 million shortfall due to the GOP tax law, with continued uncertainty leaving that number subject to increase

Senator Reverend Warnock visited Evans Memorial in August 2025 to highlight the life-threatening cuts to health care made by the GOP tax law

Senator Warnock: "I'm proud to welcome Bill to Washington as my State of the Union guest […] I believe we would all be better off if my colleagues in Washington followed the example of Georgians like Bill Lee who has devoted his life to making his communities healthier and happier"

Above: Senator Warnock meets with Bill (far left) in Claxton, Georgia in August 2025

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) announced he will welcome Claxton, Georgia health care leader Bill Lee as his guest at this year's State of the Union address to highlight the potential harms to rural hospitals because of GOP health care cuts. The President's State of the Union address is on Tuesday, February 24. Bill Lee is the Chief Executive Officer of Evans Memorial Hospital; Evans Memorial is a rural, not-for-profit hospital located in the South Georgia town of Claxton. In August 2025, Senator Warnock met with Bill at Evans Memorial following the passage of Washington Republicans' tax law that made drastic cuts to federal health care funding.

Since 1968, Evans Memorial Hospital has been providing high-quality, compassionate care to Claxton, Georgia, and its neighboring communities. But rural health care institutions across Georgia and the United States have been under financial strain for years, and these issues were only exacerbated by President Trump's "Big Ugly Bill" that made drastic cuts to federal health care funding to pay for a tax cut for billionaires at the expense of working Americans. In the past, Evans Memorial Hospital had to shutter its labor and delivery unit because it was no longer financially viable and could not sustain the rising cost to maintain that service line for its community. Evans Memorial Hospital continues to face losing their ICU services because of Washington Republican's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital currently faces a $1 million shortfall due to the GOP tax law, with continued uncertainty leaving that number subject to increase.

"I'm proud to welcome Bill to Washington as my State of the Union guest," said Senator Warnock. "Rural hospitals have been struggling for years, but the recent GOP health care tax cuts will be devastating for rural hospitals and clinics, including Evans Memorial Hospital. I believe we would all be better off if my colleagues in Washington followed the example of Georgians like Bill Lee who has devoted his life to making his communities healthier and happier."

"I am honored to be Senator Warnock's guest at the State of the Union and appreciate his work on behalf of Georgia's rural hospitals," said Bill Lee. "For decades, Evans Memorial Hospital has been providing vital services and compassionate care to Claxton and the neighboring South Georgia communities. Rural health care continues to face financial challenges. While we acknowledge the potential of additional future funding to some of Georgia's rural hospitals, we must remain committed to our communities and that it is more important than ever that we ensure every Georgian can access quality health insurance. This is our call to action."

Due to health care cuts allowed in President Trump and Washington Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law last July, up to 93,000 Georgians could be kicked off Medicaid. Additionally, due to Washington Republican inaction, enhanced ACA health insurance tax credits have expired for Plan Year 2026. The expired enhanced ACA credits increased insurance premiums for ACA customers across the country, and millions nationwide are expected to drop their ACA insurance because of higher premiums. As a result, Georgia faces some of the steepest cuts to its health care sector in the country at $3.7 billion.

Bill Lee, MBA, MHA has a diverse work experience in the health care industry and serves as a Trustee on the Board for the Georgia Hospital Association. Bill has held various leadership positions in hospitals, non-profit organizations, and health care consulting firms. Prior to serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Evans Memorial Hospital, he worked as a Senior Strategy & Network Consultant at AmeriHealth Caritas. Earlier in Lee's career, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of HCA Medical City Children's Hospital and Medical City Women's Hospital. Bill also held executive positions at Memorial Health in Savannah, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Emory Eastside Medical Center. Bill holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and a Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.), both obtained from Georgia State University - J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Prior to that, he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Business Economics from Oglethorpe University, where he studied from 1987 to 1991.

Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the Medicaid coverage gap in Georgia. During the longest government shutdown in American history last year, Senator Warnock was a leading proponent in the fight to protect lower health care costs for 22 million Americans. In an October 2025 Senate Aging Committee hearing, the Senator questioned businessman Mark Cuban on the impact higher premium costs will have on small businesses across the country. In May 2025, Senator Warnock released a report that analyzes by county which Americans are at risk of losing their health care upon Washington Republicans restricting Medicaid access through bureaucratic and ineffective work reporting requirements. The report analyzed how much it would cost each state in job loss, GDP, and devastating administrative costs. The report found that the best way to get the most Americans working is to invest in Medicaid, making health care accessible to eligible Americans.

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