Author: Anthony Hill

What Are Higher Health Insurance Costs Doing to Your Family?

What Are Higher Health Insurance Costs Doing to Your Family?

If your health insurance costs went up this year, you are not alone.

Thousands of Georgians are paying more for their Georgia Access coverage right now. Some have seen their monthly premiums double or even triple. Others have had to choose cheaper plans with higher deductibles or drop coverage completely. These aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent real families making difficult decisions about their health and financial security. Are you one of these Georgians?

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Legislative Update: Week 2

Georgia State Capitol building with gold dome against blue sky

Week 2: Budget Hearings Reveal Funding Priorities as Affordability Challenge Goes Unaddressed

Governor Brian Kemp released his Amended Year 2026 (AY26) and Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget proposals on January 14, 2026, officially beginning Georgia’s appropriations process for the 2026 legislative session.

Last week, state agency leaders presented their budget requests during joint appropriations hearings, setting the stage for House and Senate committees to craft their own versions of the budget over the coming weeks.

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Legislative Update: Week 1

Georgia State Capitol building with gold dome against blue sky

The 2026 Georgia Legislative Session Is Here

On Monday, January 13th, the Georgia General Assembly convened for the second year of the state’s two-year legislative cycle. This session gives lawmakers another opportunity to advance bills introduced last year that didn’t cross the finish line, as well as introduce new legislation addressing issues affecting Georgians’ health and well-being.

As lawmakers returned to the Capitol, they faced a fundamentally altered health care landscape following the passage of H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) by Congress and President Trump in July 2025. Steeply higher health insurance premiums strain family budgets and push more Georgians toward becoming uninsured. Georgia Access has already lost more than 190,000 enrollees in the first phase of 2026 enrollment.

According to new projections from the Georgia Health Initiative, the combined effects of H.R. 1’s changes to both marketplace operations and Medicaid funding, and the subsequent loss of premium subsidies could leave nearly 500,000 Georgians uninsured by 2034, drive $10.5 billion in uncompensated care costs, and result in $51.5 billion in lost health care provider revenue over the next decade.

At the same time, new federal restrictions on state provider taxes and state-directed payments are constraining the financing tools Georgia has historically relied on to fund its share of Medicaid costs.

So far, lawmakers have made few public comments about how they plan to grapple with these challenges in the 2026 legislative session.

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Love in motion: Honoring Georgia’s family caregivers this November

Georgia’s family caregivers give their time, energy, and hearts to care for loved ones every day. This National Family Caregivers Month, Georgians for a Healthy Future celebrates their stories and calls for stronger policies to support them.

November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time to honor the Georgians who care for loved ones, neighbors, and community members with strength and compassion. Every day, family caregivers perform acts of love in motion—managing medications, offering emotional support, navigating health systems, and keeping households running.

At Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF), we’re proud to support caregivers through our Caregivers Advisory Group, which is dedicated to raising awareness and expanding outreach to caregivers of all ages, in both paid and unpaid roles. This group helps shape policies that ensure caregivers are recognized, supported, and connected to vital resources.

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Shopping for health coverage? Here’s what to know for 2025

How to make the most of open enrollment 2026
Friendly African American pediatrician woman doctor giving five to little girl patient, celebrating good medical checkup results, greeting little patient at consultation, children medical insurance.

Open enrollment is almost here! From November 1, 2025, through January 15, 2026, Georgians can shop for health insurance coverage for 2026 through GeorgiaAccess.gov.

This year brings a few important changes, including higher premium rates and the end of extra savings that made coverage more affordable in recent years. 

Here’s how to make the most of this year’s open enrollment period and find a plan that works for you and your family.

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Honoring Georgia health champions at Celebration of Progress & Possibilities 2025

Progress takes time, but it’s driven by people who never stop pushing for it. At this year’s Celebration of Progress & Possibilities, we honor two changemakers whose lifelong dedication to health care and health policy has had a profoundly positive impact on the lives of Georgians: Andy Miller and Wendy Tiegreen.

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From Progress to Possibilities: What We’ve Built Together

Since 2008, Georgians for a Healthy Future has partnered with community members, organizations, and decision-makers to help make health care more affordable and accessible across the state.

In 2024, your support has helped us make meaningful progress:

Making Medicaid and Marketplace Coverage Work Better for Georgians

  • We worked with Voices for Georgia’s Children to streamline children’s Medicaid enrollment through Express Lane Eligibility
  • Our staff submitted detailed recommendations and helped mobilize public comments to improve the state’s Pathways to Coverage program
  • GHF’s Executive Director spoke at Georgia’s first legislative hearing focused on Medicaid expansion, offering expert testimony to help lawmakers understand the coverage gap
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Help Protect Health Care in Georgia — Share Your Story by August 15th!

Georgians with Medicaid or Georgia Access coverage: Your story matters.

Georgians for a Healthy Future is partnering with Families USA to amplify the voices of Georgians who rely on Medicaid and affordable health coverage. If you’ve been helped by Medicaid or the enhanced premium tax credits through Georgia Access, we invite you to share your story.

Why Your Story is Important

Right now, health care protections are at risk. With federal cuts to Medicaid on the horizon and the possible expiration of enhanced tax credits, it’s more important than ever for Georgians to speak up and make their voices heard. Your story can help policymakers understand how these programs affect real lives — and why they need to be protected.

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Join GHF’s New Caregiver Coalition and Help Shape Better Policies

Are you a family caregiver in Georgia? Do you support a loved one with a disability, complex health needs, or age-related challenges? If so, your voice is urgently needed.

Georgians for a Healthy Future is launching a new Caregiver Coalition, and we want you to be part of it.

Why Join the Caregiver Coalition?

Family caregivers play a critical role in supporting the health and well-being of Georgians. Whether you care for an adult or child with an intellectual or developmental disability, a physical disability, an aging family member, or someone with complex health needs, your experiences matter.

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Will Washington Roll Back Georgia’s Coverage Gains?

What the House Budget Bill Could Mean for Georgia Access

Background

On May 22, the U.S. House passed a sweeping budget bill, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. The budget bill proposes significant changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance Marketplace, which is known as Georgia Access in our state. Proponents say these changes will cut costs, but they would also make it harder for many Georgians to enroll in or keep their health coverage.

The Senate is now making its changes to the bill, but what those changes will look like is unclear. As currently written, projections from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) show the House’s changes would reduce overall Marketplace enrollment and increase the uninsured rate nationally and in Georgia. If the budget bill passes as currently written, the combination of Marketplace (including allowing the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits) and Medicaid changes could lead to an estimated 560,000-940,000 Georgians becoming uninsured.[1] (Notably, some of the marketplace changes presently in the bill are also under consideration by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), meaning they could be authorized through federal regulation even without new legislation.)

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GHF In The News

Jun 16, 2026
Georgia residents have some of the highest medical debt in the country, and it could get worse
Ellen Eldridge

LISTEN: On average, Georgia has twice as much medical debt than the rest of the country, according to Georgians for a Healthy Future Executive Director Laura Colbert. GPB’s Ellen Eldridge…

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