Peach Pulse Archive 2026

What’s Inside This Month’s Peach Pulse

September brought one of our favorite nights of the year, a new voice on our policy team, and fresh resources to help you understand what’s ahead for health care in Georgia.

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

• Celebration of Progress & Possibilities 2026 Recap: Meet our Pitch for Progress honorees and relive the night at City Winery Atlanta.
• Welcome, Erin Twomey: Our new Health Policy Analyst brings a passion for rural health care and the skills to produce clear, accessible policy analysis.
• Read, Reflect, Act: GHF’s Latest Publications and Resources:
  • How the 2026 Elections Could Shape Health Care in Georgia: Our new blog and voter guide break down what’s at stake this November and offer questions to ask candidates when they’re asking for your vote.
  • Our Comments on Pathways Funding: See what GHF told the state about its request for a higher federal match.
  • We Decide Georgia Partner Spotlight: Meet No Menthol Movement ATL and learn how preemption limits what Georgia communities can do to protect kids.
  • Health Care Unscrambled 2027: Save the date for January 14 and explore sponsorship opportunities.
• Share Your Story by October 5: We’ve extended the deadline to share how federal health care changes have affected you.
• GHF in the News: Recent coverage from FOX 5 Atlanta, 95.5 WSB Radio, and WABE.

Celebration of Progress & Possibilities 2026: Thank You!

On September 9, GHF supporters, partners, and friends filled City Winery Atlanta for the Celebration of Progress & Possibilities 2026. Thank you to everyone who joined us for an evening of connection, reflection, and big ideas for the future of health care in Georgia!

The centerpiece of the night was Pitch for Progress, our live pitch competition. Last month, we spotlighted the three finalists selected to share their ideas. At the celebration, each one took the stage to share a bold idea for making health care more affordable, accessible, and equitable. Our judges recognized the strengths and potential of every proposal.

Congratulations to This Year’s Honorees

Greatest Potential Impact

Toby Terwilliger and Marshall Fleurant, Georgians for a Universal Health Program

A single-payer health system covering every Georgia resident

Most Actionable Solution

Hridith Sudev, H-STAT

Student-led street medicine teams bringing care directly to Georgians in underserved communities

Most Innovative Idea

Tanisha Corporal, Jalisa Jordan, and Malika Thomas, Be Well, Black Girl Initiative

Rest Reimagined, a program that prescribes restorative care for Black women facing chronic stress and caregiver burden

We are grateful to our judges, Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, Dr. Natalie D. Hernandez-Green, and Dr. Harry J. Heiman, for their thoughtful questions and encouragement. Thank you also to our generous 2026 event sponsors, who made the evening possible, and to the City Winery Atlanta staff for taking such good care of us.

Missed the celebration, or want to see the highlights? Check out the photo album.

The ideas we heard that night remind us of what’s possible when Georgians come together. The conversation does not stop there. We will gather again at Health Care Unscrambled in January 2027 to take on one of the biggest challenges facing Georgia families: the cost of health care. Keep reading for the details, or save your spot now.

Save the date for Health Care Unscrambled.

Welcome to the Team, Erin Twomey!

Please join us in welcoming Erin Twomey, GHF’s new Health Policy Analyst! Erin draws on her experience in policy research and government affairs to turn complex policy information into clear, accessible materials for policymakers, stakeholders, and community partners.

Erin grew up in a small town in South Georgia and cares deeply about rural health care, maternal and infant health, mental health, access to care for people with developmental disabilities, and health economics. Before joining GHF, she worked as a special education teacher and as a policy analyst for a regional nonpartisan group that advised and supported state legislators in Southern states. She earned three degrees from the University of Georgia: a BS in Psychology with a minor in Human Services, a BA in Religion, and a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Health Policy.

Learn more about Erin on her staff profile.

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

How the 2026 Elections Could Shape Health Care in Georgia

This November, Georgians will choose leaders whose decisions will shape health care in our state for years to come. Our new blog, How the 2026 Elections Could Shape Health Care in Georgia, walks through which offices on the ballot hold real influence over Medicaid, Georgia Access, and the health care decisions that affect Georgians every day.

The blog also features our voter guide, Who Shapes Health Care in Georgia?, which breaks down each office’s role in those health care decisions. Download it and share it with friends, family, and neighbors.

Not registered yet? The last day to register to vote in Georgia is Monday, October 5. Check Your Voter Registration Here

Read the blog.

GHF Comments on State’s Pathways Funding Request

Thank you for speaking up! Last month, we asked you to weigh in on the Georgia Department of Community Health’s (DCH) request for more federal funding for Georgia Pathways to Coverage. If you submitted a comment by the September 14 deadline, thank you for making your voice heard.

What’s happening: Starting January 1, 2027, new federal rules will replace Pathways’ narrow eligibility requirements with a somewhat more flexible work reporting and exemption structure. As a result, DCH estimates that Pathways enrollment could grow from about 20,000 Georgians today to nearly 120,000 by mid-2028. Because of this anticipated growth, DCH asked the federal government to pay 90 percent of the program’s costs instead of Georgia’s regular rate of about 67 percent. It also warned that without the extra funding, state leaders may have to make difficult decisions about the program, which suggests they may consider ending Pathways altogether.

Why it matters: Pathways is the only coverage option available to Georgia adults with low incomes. Many Georgians who could become eligible in January are parents, family caregivers, and people living with serious chronic illnesses or disabilities.

What GHF asked for: In our comments, GHF urged DCH to:

• Keep Pathways (unless there is a commitment from state leaders to expand Medicaid) and move forward with the new federal rules in January, whether or not the extra funding is approved
• Publish side-by-side enrollment and cost estimates comparing Pathways with full Medicaid expansion
• Share the data and methods behind its enrollment and cost projections
• Reopen public comment for at least 30 days once that information is available

Read our comments.

We Decide Georgia Partner Spotlight: No Menthol Movement ATL

Our We Decide Georgia spotlight series introduces you to the partners behind We Decide Georgia, a coalition GHF helped launch to protect the ability of Georgia communities to make their own decisions about the issues that affect their health.

This month, meet No Menthol Movement ATL, a workgroup of the H.E.A.R.T. Coalition working to get menthol and other flavored tobacco products out of Atlanta neighborhoods. For decades, the tobacco industry has targeted Black communities with menthol cigarettes. Our spotlight explains how preemption, when state law limits what cities and counties can do, keeps local leaders from using some of the most effective tools to protect kids in their own communities, and how No Menthol Movement ATL is organizing residents anyway.

Read the spotlight.

Save the Date: Health Care Unscrambled 2027

What’s driving the cost of health care in Georgia? We’ll dig into that question at our 17th annual Health Care Unscrambled forum on Thursday, January 14, 2027, from 12:30 to 4:00 PM at the Georgia Freight Depot in Atlanta. We hold Health Care Unscrambled during the opening week of the Georgia General Assembly, and this year’s program centers on health care costs and affordability.

Sponsorships are now open. Explore our sponsorship opportunities and join us in making affordable health care a priority as the new session begins.

Get your tickets.

Share Your Story: Deadline Extended to October 5

Maybe your premium went up. Maybe you’re worried about losing coverage. Maybe you’ve faced a hospital bill you couldn’t afford or had trouble getting the care you needed.

We want to hear what happened.

The Georgians for a Healthy Future team and Families USA extended the deadline for our story collection to Monday, October 5, so there’s still time to share how federal health care changes have affected your coverage, your care, or your finances.

We especially want to hear from you if you:

• Are enrolled in Pathways to Coverage or Medicaid and must meet work reporting requirements
• Have seen your premiums spike, or had to reduce or cancel coverage as premium tax credits expired
• Are dealing with high hospital bills or medical debt
• Have been affected as a patient or a provider by hospital service closures tied to federal Medicaid funding cuts

Complete a short interest form by October 5. If selected, you will take part in a 30-minute virtual interview, provide a photo, and review your story before we share it. Participants who complete all steps receive a thank-you gift for their time.

Share your story by October 5.

GHF in the News

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

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