The Georgia We Know Deserves Better
Every April, Medicaid Awareness Month is an opportunity to recognize what Medicaid means to millions of people across the country and right here in Georgia. This year, that recognition comes with urgency.
Across Georgia, families are doing their best to make ends meet in the middle of an affordability crisis. Health care costs remain one of the biggest and most unpredictable expenses people face.
Luckily, one part of our health system already shows what affordable, reliable coverage can look like.
Medicaid: Affordable, predictable coverage that works
In the midst of rising costs, Medicaid stands out as an example of how health coverage and care can be affordable and predictable for Georgians. Unlike private insurance, Medicaid has little to no cost-sharing: no monthly premiums, no surprise bills, no choosing between a prescription and rent.
For the people who are covered by it, it works.
- One in five people in Georgia are covered by Medicaid
- It covered 42 percent of Georgia births in 2024
- It covers nearly half of Georgia’s children
- 73 percent of nursing home residents in Georgia rely on Medicaid
When Medicaid works, people get the care they need, families are more stable, communities are healthier, and doctors and hospitals can keep their doors open.
Federal cuts and state inaction put Medicaid at risk and keep Georgians uninsured
Last year, Congress and President Trump approved a budget bill called H.R.1, which made major cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They also failed to renew the enhanced marketplace subsidies that helped keep private health insurance affordable for many Georgians. Together, these changes are already affecting coverage, costs, and access to care across Georgia.
- 32,000 Georgians are projected to lose Medicaid coverage due to new eligibility restrictions
- Average monthly premiums for Georgia Access enrollees more than doubled, from $69 to $148 per month, when enhanced subsidies expired
- 460,000 could lose Georgia Access coverage as premiums rise and insurance gets harder to enroll in
- Georgia hospitals, doctors, and clinics will miss out on $5.4 billion in federal Medicaid funding and revenue from insured patients
The consequences of H.R.1 put Medicaid at risk and make health care more unaffordable for Georgians. A majority of people who purchased their health insurance through an ACA marketplace (like Georgia Access) in 2025 and 2026 said they are cutting back on food or household basics to afford coverage.
Inaction by state leaders will make matters worse
Our state is starting from a weaker position than most other states following H.R.1:
- Our uninsured rate is already among the highest in the country. More than 1.3 million Georgians are uninsured, and most are working-age adults (between 19 and 64).
- In 2023, instead of expanding Medicaid, Georgia created a restrictive Medicaid program for working adults called Pathways to Coverage. As of February 2026, only 14,952 Georgians are actively enrolled. That leaves thousands of Georgians who make low wages uninsured.
- Georgia leaders chose to send Georgians with incomes just above the poverty line to Georgia Access for their coverage. Now that the enhanced premium subsidies have expired, they have lost access to plans with $0 premiums and many of them can’t afford the new monthly cost.
Without action by state lawmakers, Georgia will see these problems worsen because of H.R.1. More Georgia children and adults will go uninsured and without care when they need it; hospitals will close more units and services; and we will all struggle more to get the care we need.
Fortunately, there are steps that our leaders can take to lessen the harms of H.R.1 and make health care affordable for many more Georgians.
We can take action to protect and strengthen Medicaid
Even in the face of these challenges, Georgia has options.
What state legislators can do
State leaders can take meaningful steps to strengthen health coverage:
- Expand Medicaid to close the coverage gap and extend coverage to thousands of low-income Georgians. Expanding Medicaid means allowing adults making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line (about $22,025 for an individual) to qualify for and enroll in Medicaid. When Georgia leaders take this step, 394,000 Georgians could get newly insured, and billions in federal Medicaid dollars would return to our state.
- Modernize Georgia’s Medicaid program (and the technology that supports it) to reduce administrative barriers and make it easier for eligible Georgians to get enrolled and stay covered.
- Protect Medicaid coverage and funding for children and adults with disabilities. Georgians with the most complex health needs deserve the confidence of knowing that Medicaid will always be there for them.
What you can do
Georgians just like you play a critical role in shaping policy decisions. You can:
- Talk to your elected officials about why Medicaid expansion and protection matter
- Use the 2026 legislator meeting guide to have conversations with your lawmakers
- Share your story about how Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, health insurance premium increases, or other health coverage and care changes have impacted you or your family
- Help others understand what is at stake by sharing information with your community
This Medicaid Awareness Month, we are reminded that Medicaid is not just a program. It is the foundation of health coverage for one in five Georgians. It is what keeps families stable, hospitals open, and communities healthy. Georgia has the tools to close the coverage gap and strengthen its health care system. The question is whether we choose to use them.
By speaking up and supporting practical solutions, Georgians can help ensure that everyone in our state has access to affordable, reliable care.