Georgia sees major drop in ACA enrollment after subsidy cuts

More than half a million Georgians have dropped health insurance coverage after Affordable Care Act plans faced substantial price hikes with recent changes.

An investigation by The Current and The Georgia Recorder shows that 550,000 Georgians have not signed up for Georgia’s healthcare plan. That is a 37% drop in enrollment compared to January 2025.

Health insurance policies on Georgia’s healthcare marketplace saw an increase in premiums after the U.S. Congress and President Donald Trump decided not to extend health insurance subsidies from the coronavirus pandemic. The subsidies ended on Dec. 31, 2025, causing the increase in prices.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do, honestly” Monty Veazey, president of the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, told The Current. “It’s a larger number than I anticipated.”

The decline in enrollment could cause major issues for Georgia’s rural hospitals that already face challenging financial circumstances and may face more uncertainty as Georgia’s uninsured rate increases after years of progress.

Emma Wager, a senior policy analyst on the ACA at the health research nonprofit KFF, said a large amount of disenrollment could impact hospitals across the state.

“A larger uninsured population means that hospitals have to provide more uncompensated care. And we also know that people who are uninsured are more likely to delay or forgo medicare care…they may have severe needs by the time they actually see a doctor.”