In Wednesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned Urban Institute senior fellow Jason Levitis on the impact that expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits will have on Georgians who purchase their care through GeorgiaAccess.gov

Georgians who get their health plans on GeorgiaAccess.gov could see health care premiums more than double for 2026 due to cuts allowed in Washington Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill

1.2 million Georgians are at risk of losing coverage due to the Republican legislation

Senator Reverend Warnock: “If we fail to act now, America’s two-tier health system will get even worse”

Watch Senator Reverend Warnock at Wednesday’s Finance Committee hearing HERE

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) highlighted the consequences that the elimination of zero-dollar premiums will have on Georgia and other non-expansion states across the country in an exchange with Urban Institute senior fellow Jason Levitis during a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Thanks to Washington Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill, Georgians’health care premiums have more than doubled for 2026 on average. The increased cost of health care for Georgians who purchase their care through GeorgiaAccess.gov will likely make it more difficult for hundreds of thousands of Georgians across the state to make ends meet.

“If we fail to act now, America’s two-tier health system will get even worse,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “In some states, you can work a full-time job—again, for folks who like to talk about the importance of work—I believe in the dignity of work. You can work a full-time job, have full coverage plans with zero monthly premiums. In other states [that haven’t expanded Medicaid], you will be stuck with a $600 bill, or more, making $20,000 a year. All because of where you live. And Congress is about to make it worse.”

Due to health care cuts allowed in President Trump and Washington Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law in July, ACA health insurance premium tax credits will expire at the end of the year unless extended by Congress. Georgia is one of the states that will be most harmed by these cuts, with more than 1.2 million Georgians at risk of losing coverage. Expiring health care tax credits will increase insurance premiums for ACA Marketplace customers across the country, and millions are expected to drop their ACA insurance because of higher premiums. Since Georgia is a non-expansion state, many low-income enrollees who would have otherwise qualified for no-cost Medicaid plans have been able to benefit from no-cost coverage from the ACA. Due to President Trump and Washington Republicans’ OBBB, those Americans are about to be saddled with catastrophic health care increases.

According to George Washington University, Georgia is projected to lose more than 33,000 jobs in 2026 if Congress does not extend health care premium tax credits for Georgians who purchase their insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The economic impact of national health care losses is projected to be roughly $32 billion.

Watch the Senator’s full remarks HERE. 

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