Peach Pulse Archive 2026

What’s Inside This Month’s Peach Pulse

Here’s what’s inside this month’s Peach Pulse:

• Legislative Updates: We’ve been tracking every health-related bill this session, from proposals that could expand access to care to legislation that could put coverage at risk. Catch up on all our weekly legislative updates as the session comes to a close.
  Read the latest legislative updates on our blog.
  • Power Our Advocacy and Research: The most consequential week of the session starts now. Your support helps us track legislation, produce research, and advocate for policies that expand access to care across Georgia.
• Read, Reflect, Act: GHF’s Latest Publications & Resources:
  This month, we’re sharing:
  • GHF’s participation in ARCHI’s February partner breakfast, where our Caregivers Advisory Group member LaVondra Scarver shared her lived experience on aging and caregiving
  • How the ACA’s 16th anniversary highlights what Georgia has gained and what we’re still leaving on the table
  • ICYMI: GHF’s new policy brief on what rising costs and federal policy changes mean for Georgia Access enrollees
  • A reflection on the Georgia women stuck in the coverage gap this Women’s History Month
• GHF in the News: Recent coverage from WABE, GPB, CNN, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and more!

What’s Happening at the Capitol

Under the Gold Dome: One Week Left in the 2026 Session

Georgia’s legislative session ends April 2, and our team has been with you every step of the way.

Throughout the session, GHF has been tracking health-related bills, monitoring committee activity, and breaking down what it all means for Georgians. From proposals that could expand access to care to legislation that could put coverage at risk, we have been watching closely, speaking up for Georgians like you, and reporting back every week.

As lawmakers head into the final stretch, the work is not over. Bills are still moving, negotiations are ongoing, and the decisions made under the Gold Dome this week and next will have real consequences for the health of Georgia families.

Stay up to date with everything we have been tracking this session through our weekly legislative updates on the GHF blog.

Read, Reflect, Act: GHF’s Latest Publications & Resources

Caregiving, Aging, and Lived Experience: GHF in the Community

On February 27th, GHF joined community leaders at the ARCHI partner breakfast for an important conversation: Navigating Aging in Atlanta. LaVondra Scarver from our Caregivers Advisory Group shared her experience on a multidisciplinary panel, while GHF Impact Program Manager Carmen Ervin collaborated with partners to tackle the real-world challenges facing older adults and their caregivers.

The conversation centered on what it takes to build a more supportive, age-friendly Atlanta. Topics included caregiver burnout, the need for accessible resources, and how policy can better reflect the realities families face every day.

This work is grounded in research and action. Earlier this year, we published a blog exploring why caregiving is a workforce issue and a growing policy priority. Caregiving affects who can work, under what conditions, and for how long. It shapes mental health, job retention, and economic security for families across Georgia.

The blog examines the mental health toll on caregivers, what employers can do to support their workforce, and what policymakers can do to recognize caregiving as essential work. It also includes a starting list of Georgia-based resources for caregivers, including the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Aging Services, local Area Agencies on Aging, and the statewide Aging & Disability Resource Connection.

The ACA Turns 16 and Georgians Are Still Waiting

On March 23, the Affordable Care Act celebrated its 16th birthday. The ACA transformed health coverage in America by protecting people with pre-existing conditions, making insurance accessible to millions who had none, and enabling states to expand Medicaid so low-income adults have health coverage. Sixteen years later, the evidence of its impact is real, and so is the evidence of what Georgia has left on the table.

When the ACA took effect, Georgia’s uninsured rate was among the worst in the country at 20.9%. As the law’s consumer protections and coverage expansions took hold, that rate fell to 13.3% by 2023. The Commonwealth Fund credits those gains to the subsidized marketplace coverage, and new protections like banning insurers from charging higher premiums to people with pre-existing conditions. Fewer Georgians are skipping care because of cost, and more families are able to manage chronic conditions.

But Georgia’s progress has a ceiling that state leaders built themselves. The Commonwealth Fund’s 2025 Scorecard ranked Georgia 45th in the nation on health system performance, and according to KFF State Health Facts, Georgia had the second highest uninsured rate in the country in 2024 at 14.0%. This rate has barely moved in a decade because Georgia has never expanded Medicaid. States that expanded coverage to low-income adults saw their uninsured rates fall well below 10%. Georgia’s leveled off.

This anniversary, we are collecting stories from Georgians who are uninsured and living in the coverage gap. Your experience matters. Sharing takes just a few minutes, and your story will be kept confidential unless you choose otherwise.

Left Behind: The Georgia Women Stuck in the Coverage Gap

This month, as we celebrate Women’s History Month, we are reminded that the fight for health care access has always been connected to the fight for women’s equality. Women have long been on the front lines of advocacy, pushing for fairer systems, stronger communities, and a country that lives up to its promises for everyone.

And the stakes are clear. Women are caregivers, workers, and the backbones of families across Georgia. But too many of them still can’t afford to see a doctor or fill a prescription. Nearly one in five women ages 18 to 44 in Georgia is uninsured— not because care isn’t available, but because Georgia leaders have refused to close the coverage gap that leaves them out. For women managing chronic conditions, recovering from pregnancy, or simply trying to stay healthy enough to show up for the people who depend on them, that gap is not an abstraction. It is a daily reality.

Learn more:

• The Georgia women stuck in the coverage gap — Cover Georgia’s Women’s History Month blog on who is being left behind and what it would take to bring them in
• Understanding Georgia’s Medicaid options for women — A plain-language guide to current coverage options, including Medicaid for pregnant women, Women’s Health Medicaid, and Pathways to Coverage, plus how to get free help enrolling

GHF in the News

Catch up on recent media coverage featuring GHF’s work, team, and storytellers:

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