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Legislative Update: Sine Die

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: SINE DIE

Georgia State Capitol

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.

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Legislative Update: Week 11

Georgia State Capitol

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.

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Did Your Georgia Access Premium Go Up? Share Your Story Before April 2.

Share Your Story Before April 2.

Georgians for a Healthy Future is collecting stories from Georgians whose health coverage has been affected by rising Georgia Access Marketplace premiums. If your costs have gone up this year and it changed what coverage you can afford or how you use your health care, we want to hear from you.

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Missed Open Enrollment? A Special Enrollment Period Can Help You Get Covered in 2026

You May Still Qualify for Health Insurance Through Georgia Access

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).

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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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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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Updated: Why ACA Premiums May Soon Become Less Affordable and What an Expiring Tax Credit Could Mean for Georgia Families

Millions of Georgians Could Face Big Increases in Health Insurance Costs—Here’s What You Need to Know
Young people spitting at table and looking at laptop

Update – August 2025: Enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits (ePTCs) still expire on December 31, 2025, unless Congress acts. In 2025, Georgia Access enrolled over 1.5 million Georgians, 93% of whom depend on these subsidies to make health coverage affordable. Without an extension, premiums in Georgia are projected to jump over 75% on average, and most 2026 insurer filings already assume the credits will lapse. A typical example: a 60-year-old couple earning about $85,000 would pay roughly $18,000 more per year if the ePTCs disappear. The premium increases resulting from the expiration of the ePTCs could cause about 340,000 more Georgians to become uninsured. In short: swift Congressional action to extend the ePTCs—ideally before rate finalization—would prevent sharp premium spikes for Georgia families and avert significant coverage losses. 

See how costs could rise in your Congressional district or use the calculator to estimate cost increases based on your income information — then contact your members of Congress today and tell them to extend the enhanced premium tax credits to keep health care affordable for Georgia families.

Tell Congress: Extend ACA Savings
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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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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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