According to a new report, Georgia’s hospitals, doctors, and other health care businesses are facing nearly $4 billion in revenue cuts next year due to President Trump and Washington Republicans’ catastrophic cuts to health care

The $3.7 billion cut is a direct result of Washington Republicans choosing to defund Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance tax credits, which are set to expire in December

Most recent estimates find that about 460,000 Georgians are set to not renew their ACA health insurance

Last week, Senator Warnock voted for legislation that would keep the government funded and protect health care for the more than 1 million Georgians set to see their premiums skyrocket under the current GOP spending agreement. Senate Republicans ultimately killed that legislation

Senator Warnock: “D.C. Republicans control Congress. They decide if the government stays open. If they want my vote on their budget, they need to put forward a bill that funds health care” 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) issued a statement outlining what it will take for Washington Republicans to secure his vote amid ongoing negotiations to fund the government. The Senator’s statement follows a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute that shows Georgia’s health care industry is set to lose nearly $4 billion in revenue next year as a result of Washington Republicans’ decision to allow Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance tax credits to expire at the end of 2025, taking away health care for 460,000 Georgians who rely on the ACA marketplace.

“D.C. Republicans control Congress. They decide if the government stays open,” said Senator Warnock. “If they want my vote on their budget, they need to put forward a bill that funds health care.”

Due to health care cuts in President Trump and Washington Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law in July, ACA health insurance tax credits will expire at the end of the year unless extended by Congress. The expiring ACA credits will increase insurance premiums for ACA customers across the country, and millions are expected to drop their ACA insurance because of higher premiums. As a result, Georgia faces some of the steepest cuts to its health care sector in the country at $3.7 billion. According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Urban Institute report, national health care losses are projected to be roughly $32 billion.

Georgia hospitals are bracing for these draconian cuts: in August, Senator Warnock visited Evans Memorial Hospital in Claxton, Georgia to discuss the risks to rural health care access following steep cuts to health care in the recently passed GOP tax law. Evans Memorial Hospital, a lifeline for rural Georgians, is forced to cut $3.3 million annually to break even due to the GOP tax bill, which will kick as many as 750,000 Georgians off their health care. When rural hospitals have to provide care to people without insurance who cannot afford their medical bills, it makes it more likely that hospitals will be forced to cut services or close their doors. The GOP tax bill’s health care cuts could mean Evans Memorial will have to scale back intensive care unit (ICU) or cardio-pulmonary rehab services. Recently, Evans Memorial Hospital had to shutter its labor and delivery unit because it was no longer financially viable.

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