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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: SINE DIE

FY2027 Budget: The Conference Committee’s Final Deal

In the final days of Georgia’s 2026 legislative session, a conference committee made up of three House and three Senate members negotiated the final Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) state budget after the two chambers disagreed on spending priorities across health care, workforce, and rural infrastructure. Both chambers passed the conference committee’s final FY27 budget before Sine Die on the last day of the legislative session. The FY27 budget funds the state from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

WEEK 11: WHAT THE SENATE BUDGET MEANS FOR HEALTH CARE IN GEORGIA

Last week, the Georgia Senate passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) state budget. The FY27 budget funds the state from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027. The Senate made significant changes to the House’s version of the budget, including dramatically expanding waiver capacity for Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), redistributing Medicaid provider rate increases, and scaling back several House investments in public health, workforce, and rural health infrastructure.

Last Tuesday, the Georgia House of Representatives passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) state budget. The FY27 budget funds the state from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The House version builds on the Governor’s recommendations with significant new investments in Medicaid provider rates, graduate medical education, maternal and child health, and public health infrastructure.

Here is what the House version means for health care and the programs Georgians rely on:

Crossover Day has come and gone, marking a critical turning point in the 2026 legislative session!

Friday, March 6th was the final day for bills to pass the chamber where they were introduced (the House or Senate) and move to the other chamber for consideration.

Last Wednesday, the House and Senate reached an agreement on the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AY26) state budget. The final version now goes to the Governor for his signature, after which the new spending plan will take effect.

Here is what this budget means for health care, human services, and the programs Georgians rely on:

Life changes fast. Marriage, a move, a new job, or losing coverage can happen to anyone. You may still qualify for health insurance through Georgia Access, even if you missed Open Enrollment.

Each year, Open Enrollment is the time when most Georgians can sign up for health insurance through Georgia Access, the state’s health insurance marketplace. For coverage in 2026, Open Enrollment ran from November 1, 2025, through January 15, 2026. Outside of that window, you typically need to experience a qualifying life event to enroll in or change a plan through a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

On Friday, the Georgia Senate passed its version of the Amended Fiscal Year 2026 (AY26) state budget by a vote of 49-1. The Senate version takes a different approach to several major health-related investments than the House. Most notably, the Senate goes significantly further than the House in funding mental health infrastructure.

Here is what the Senate version means for health care, human services, and the programs Georgians rely on:

The Big Picture

The Senate budget’s largest, and arguably most significant, investment is the $409 million added for a new 300-bed state mental health hospital, the first built in Georgia since the 1960s. The Senate also increases Medicaid funding above House levels, reverses a proposed $25 million reduction to the state’s reinsurance program, and includes $20 million for graduate medical education at three facilities. At the same time, it scales back the House’s largest foster care investment and reduces the Housing Trust Fund. Statewide, the Senate reduces the one-time salary supplement for state employees from $2,000 (House) to $1,250.

The House is advancing legislation that would give Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner significantly stronger tools to hold insurance companies accountable when they break consumer protection laws. House Bill 1262 would increase fines for violations of mental health parity requirements, surprise billing protections, and other insurance consumer protection laws from $2,000/$5,000 to $10,000/$25,000 per violation.

For large insurance companies, current fines of $2,000 or $5,000 per violation may be too small to deter misconduct. Stronger enforcement tools help ensure that insurance companies actually follow existing consumer protection laws, including mental health parity requirements under HB 1013.

This week at a glance:

• HB 1262 is on the agenda for the House Health Insurance subcommittee tomorrow (Wed., 02/18).
• HB 1002, which would move Georgia’s foster children from Medicaid managed care to a Fee-for-Service Medicaid model, and HB 1192, which would increase budgetary oversight of the Department of Community Health (DCH) and the Department of Human Services, are scheduled to be heard in the House Health Committee tomorrow (Wed., 02/18).
• SB 428, which would allow DCH to apply for a Home and Community Based Services Medicaid waiver for Georgians suffering from severe mental illness, is on the agenda in Senate Health and Human Services tomorrow.