One year after H.R. 1’s enactment, advocates point to rising premiums, new Medicaid paperwork requirements, and coverage losses across Georgia

ATLANTA, Ga. (July 2, 2026): One year after H.R. 1 became federal law on July 4, 2025, more than 500,000 Georgians have dropped their marketplace health insurance coverage due, in part, to rising premiums. Newly released guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) goes further than what is written in H.R. 1 in some cases, and makes accessing high-quality, affordable health care even more of a challenge for everyday Georgians.

Health advocates say the combined effects of marketplace subsidy changes, new administrative requirements, and future federal policy changes have significant implications for both Georgia families, health care providers, and communities statewide.

After Congress declined to extend enhanced premium tax credits under H.R. 1, which priced working-class Georgians out of marketplace coverage, the federal government has finalized a rule for the 2027 marketplace that will increase the paperwork needed for people to enroll in plans and receive financial help, permit unlimited annual out-of-pocket maximums for certain marketplace health plans, and make it more difficult to find in-network care.

Regarding Medicaid, a newly released CMS rule, which is intended to guide states like Georgia in their implementation of H.R. 1, will continue to leave low-income families without access to affordable care. By sharply restricting exemptions to Medicaid work reporting requirements, such as who is considered “medically frail,” and forcing severely ill individuals to navigate complex paperwork systems to keep their coverage, the new federal guidance will only perpetuate existing barriers and Georgia’s health care crisis. Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage program is a cautionary tale of what is to come for other states when the H.R. 1 Medicaid work requirement begins in January 2027: bureaucratic hurdles and suppressed enrollment for individuals with low incomes and high administrative costs covered by taxpayers.

ATLANTA, May 13, 2026 — Following significant declines in funding for health insurance navigator programs, Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF) today launched its “Getting Georgia Covered” spring campaign to sustain enrollment assistance services for Georgia residents navigating an increasingly complicated health coverage landscape.

Support for marketplace navigator programs has drastically decreased, leaving far fewer trained resources available to help Georgians compare plans, apply for subsidies, and understand their coverage options. The cuts come at a moment of significant instability: the expiration of enhanced premium subsidies drove 2026 marketplace premiums up significantly across the state. As coverage has grown less affordable, hundreds of thousands of Georgians have already disenrolled from ACA plans, and many of those still enrolled are working harder than ever to find plans that fit their budgets, making one-on-one enrollment assistance more critical than it has been in years.

GHF is one of only a few organizations in Georgia providing enrollment assistance across both Medicaid and the Georgia Access marketplace, serving residents regardless of which program they qualify for.

The campaign runs May 13 through 19. Funds raised support GHF’s enrollment assistance operations, which serve Georgia families year-round.

GHF launches first-of-its-kind tool to monitor insurer compliance with state and federal mental health parity laws

ATLANTA — This week, Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF) released the Georgia Mental Health Parity Dashboard, a new tool that allows consumers and policymakers to track how well health insurers are complying with laws intended to ensure equal access to mental health and substance use disorder care.

The Georgia Mental Health Parity Dashboard tracks compliance with Georgia’s Mental Health Parity Act (HB 1013) and the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) across state-regulated private health plans and the public health insurance programs Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids. It examines the rules and processes that most directly affect whether people can get the care they need, including how insurers define medical necessity, set cost-sharing requirements, and apply prior authorization and other utilization management tools.

ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers return to the Capitol this week as higher health insurance premiums strain family budgets in Georgia and push more Georgians toward becoming uninsured. Congressional procrastination has already made Georgia Access coverage more expensive for many families; now Congress is actively debating whether and how to restore the enhanced premium tax credits that helped keep premiums affordable. 

While the outcome and timing in Washington remain uncertain, a potential federal fix would not relieve Georgia’s lawmakers of the need to adopt a state-level affordability plan.

The question is whether state leaders will use the tools available to protect residents from avoidable coverage losses now and build a more stable and affordable health insurance marketplace for the years ahead.

With the final 2026 Georgia Access enrollment deadline just days away, Georgia is already seeing warning signs. Georgia Access has lost more than 190,000 enrollees in the first phase of 2026 enrollment, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. January 15 is the last day to enroll in a 2026 plan through Georgia Access. 

New projections from the Georgia Health Initiative show the stakes if Georgia does not act to protect affordability. By 2034:

• Nearly 500,000 Georgians will become uninsured
• $10.5 billion increase in uncompensated care costs for Georgia health care providers
• Tens of thousands of health care jobs at risk
• Rural hospitals and underserved communities hit hardest

“Georgia does not have to sit on the sidelines while Congress debates next steps. We can determine our own fate,” said Laura Colbert, Executive Director at Georgians for a Healthy Future (GHF). “Because Georgia operates its own health insurance marketplace, state leaders can take practical steps to keep coverage affordable for our families and prevent Georgians from becoming uninsured. Those state tools matter even if Congress acts, because federal action may be delayed, temporary, or structured in ways that still leave many Georgians behind.”

Congress’s failure to extend enhanced premium tax credits leaves Georgia families exposed

ATLANTA, GA — Georgians for a Healthy Future released the following statement after Congress failed to extend the enhanced premium tax credits, a decision that is likely to result in the expiration of these affordability protections in 20 days and result in higher health insurance costs for many Georgia families.

The enhanced premium tax credits are the primary tool that help families purchase comprehensive coverage on the health insurance marketplace and keep monthly premiums affordable for nearly all (95%) Georgia Access enrollees. The vote comes just days before the December 15 deadline for Georgians to enroll in health plans that begin on January 1. The failed vote creates uncertainty during a critical period when many families are making final decisions about their 2026 coverage and relying on these credits to keep premiums affordable.

Statement from Georgians for a Healthy Future Director of Health Policy Whitney Griggs:

“Congress’s failure to extend the enhanced premium tax credits leaves Georgia families exposed to steep and avoidable premium increases in 2026. Average premiums for subsidized Georgia consumers are expected to nearly triple, rising from 275 dollars to 814 dollars per month. For families with incomes below 250 percent of the federal poverty level, premiums are projected to jump more than 500 percent. These increases are simply unaffordable for many households, especially in rural communities where options and resources are already limited. Without these protections, up to 460,000 Georgians could lose their coverage, and rural hospitals and clinics will face even greater financial strain.”

A new analysis shows that the combined effects of  H.R.1 and the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits will raise costs, weaken rural hospitals, and leave hundreds of thousands uninsured unless Georgia adopts state solutions.

ATLANTA, GA — A new analysis commissioned by the Georgia Health Initiative (GHI) and conducted by Manatt Health finds that the federal changes to Medicaid in One Big Beautiful Bill  (H.R.1) and the expiration of the premium tax credits will significantly increase the number of uninsured Georgians and weaken the state’s health care system and economy. According to the report, Impact of Federal Policy Changes to Georgia’s Health Care Landscape:

• 492,000 Georgians are projected to lose health coverage and become uninsured by 2034.

• Georgia health care providers stand to lose $51.5 billion in revenue between 2025 and 2034, including $10.5 billion in uncompensated care costs, as coverage declines and federal Medicaid financing is reduced.
• The expiration of enhanced premium tax credits alone is projected to cost Georgia 33,600 jobs and $237 million in state tax revenue in 2026.
• Medicaid cuts would cause an additional 12,900 job losses and $89 million in lost state tax revenue by 2029.
• Rural regions in southwest Georgia, middle Georgia, and the coastal area are expected to experience some of the steepest declines in coverage, provider revenue, and access to essential services.

“Every Georgian deserves the security that comes with affordable, reliable health coverage. This new report makes it clear that Georgia is facing a serious challenge,” said Whitney Griggs, Director of Health Policy at Georgians for a Healthy Future. “Nearly half a million Georgians may lose coverage due to changes in federal policy. The impact will fall hardest on Georgia’s families, small business owners, and rural hospitals. However, Georgia is not powerless in the face of these changes. Georgia has realistic policy options to keep coverage affordable and prevent catastrophic financial and health care access issues. Lawmakers can create a state affordability program, strengthen reinsurance, and invest in enrollment assistance to keep people covered. Georgians for a Healthy Future urges state leaders to use this new data and take meaningful action in the upcoming legislative session to protect Georgia families.”