Republican cuts to health care would devastate Georgia residents’ wallets
Families across Georgia — from metro Atlanta to rural counties — are bracing for the consequences from the assault that President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have launched against our health care system.
Over the summer, Republicans in Congress passed a new law that hikes costs for the middle class, slashes nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage and puts rural hospitals at risk of closure.
Now, Republican lawmakers also want to end the tax credits that make coverage from the health insurance marketplace — like Georgia Access insurance — affordable, putting care out of reach for millions of families. And instead of passing a budget that protects people’s health, they’re threatening to shut down the government.
Georgia has a lot to lose.
More than 2.2 million children and adults rely on Medicaid here. The program covers nearly half of births in the state, supports over a third of Georgians in nursing homes and provides care for thousands of adults with disabilities.
The cuts Republicans passed in Washington would leave hundreds of thousands of Georgians without coverage, slash up to $10 billion in Medicaid funding over the next decade and force impossible choices for families who already live on the edge.
Pregnant mothers at Lavonia hospital now face new health risks
We’re already seeing the warning signs. Four rural hospitals are at risk of closing in Georgia and even more are at risk of cutting services.
St. Mary’s Health Care System will close the labor and delivery unit at its Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia next month, forcing women in the area to travel an hour or more to safely deliver their babies — a burden that turns into a life-threatening risk if complications arise.
Evans Memorial Hospital in southeast Georgia has warned it may be forced to close its intensive care unit, stripping residents of access to critical, often lifesaving care close to home.
The Affordable Care Act, like insurance through Georgia Access, has also been a lifeline for working Georgians, with more than 24 million Americans nationwide, including 1.5 million Georgians, able to purchase affordable insurance through the marketplace.
In Georgia, families who don’t get insurance through an employer depend on tax credits to keep premiums within reach. A family of four earning about $64,000 pays just over $100 a month for comprehensive coverage because of those credits. A middle-aged couple making around $93,000 saves more than $1,000 a month compared to what they’d pay without them.
But those tax credits are now set to end. Without action, premiums could spike by hundreds or even thousands of dollars overnight.
In some states, insurers are already projecting increases of more than 40%. For families living paycheck to paycheck, that’s the difference between keeping a roof over their heads and keeping their kids insured.
Congress should protect affordable health care for all Americans
This crisis is not inevitable — it’s a choice. Republicans in Washington are choosing to side with billionaires and big corporations instead of protecting the health care families count on.
Congressional Democrats have already introduced legislation to permanently extend the health care tax credits, and some are pushing to include them in any government funding deal. But the closer it gets to open enrollment in November, the harder it will be to get this done, and the more uncertainty Georgia families will face.
As the former head of Medicare and Medicaid in the Biden administration, I know firsthand that what’s at stake is more than numbers on a budget line.
It’s a mom in rural Georgia wondering if she’ll have to deliver her baby on the side of the highway. It’s a retiree who won’t be able to afford medication if his premiums double. It’s parents who may have to choose between paying the mortgage or keeping their kids covered when they get sick.
The Affordable Care Act proved that progress is possible — that ordinary, hardworking families can access affordable, comprehensive health care. Now it’s up to Congress to make sure that progress isn’t rolled back, and up to all of us to demand a health care system that is fair, affordable and sustainable for every Georgian.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure is a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
