Georgia loses 190,000 enrollees in first steps of 2026 ACA enrollment
Georgia’s Affordable Care Act health insurance enrollment has declined by more than 190,000 policyholders in the first step of 2026 enrollment, according to figures for the state’s ACA exchange, Georgia Access.
The final numbers should be known April 1.
Prices are spiking as pandemic-era federal subsidies expire, and some shoppers are seeing sticker shock. As some people decide they can’t or won’t pay, analysts forecast that Georgia will lose as many as 460,000 enrollees, many of whom will then go uninsured next year.
The ACA is also known as Obamacare.
According to the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, which runs Georgia Access, as of the mid-December deadline for January coverage, 1.3 million people have signed up to have ACA insurance during 2026. That’s lower compared to last year, when the state had 1.5 enrollees as of the deadline for January coverage.
More data is yet to come. Georgians still have time to sign up for 2026 coverage that starts in February.
And the other big change will be known April 1. That’s when the state will cull its roster of people who were auto-enrolled but decided not to pay the premiums and were simply canceled. Huge numbers of people are auto-enrolled.
Georgia prices overall are expected to increase by 196% on average. But price varies depending on factors such as age, income, county, and whether the policyholder smokes.
The AJC searched for the three lowest-cost premiums for a silver-level plan for a Fulton County couple that makes $85,000 a year and is 60 years old. Here are the results on GeorgiaAccess.gov for 2025 compared to 2026 below that.
For 2025:
For 2026:
The state’s announcement noted that 111,000 of the 2026 enrollees are new to Georgia Access this year, not people who simply decided to re-enroll.
About the Author
Ariel Hart is a reporter on health care issues. She works on the AJC’s health team and has reported on subjects including the Voting Rights Act and transportation.
