FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 Wednesday, April 22, 2026

CONTACT: press@keishaforgovernor.com

Bottoms Statement on New Reports Showing More than 500,000 Georgians Lost Health Care Coverage Due to Trump’s ACA Cuts

Bottoms: ‘These Reports Show the Human Impact of the Decision by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to Rip Health Care Coverage Away from Americans’

ATLANTA — Democratic candidate for governor Keisha Lance Bottoms released the following statement after a new report revealed that more than 500,000 Georgians have dropped their health care coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace following Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

New data analyzed by The Current and Georgia Recorder show that ACA enrollment in Georgia has declined by 37% in the first four months of 2026 — Georgia’s largest decline in enrollment since the ACA went into effect more than a decade ago. Advocates for Georgia’s rural hospitals are also concerned about what this drop in enrollment means for the continued viability of the health care providers in Georgia’s rural communities.

Last week, Bottoms announced her CARE Plan for a Healthier Georgia which will expand Medicaid to cover more Georgians, pursue targeted state premium support to prevent Georgians who rely on the ACA from losing coverage, and protect Georgia’s rural hospitals by increasing reimbursements and providing support to keep rural hospitals open.

“These reports show the human impact of the decision by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to rip health care coverage away from Americans. As a result of Trump’s health care cuts, more than 500,000 Georgians no longer have coverage through the ACA and many more are paying higher premiums,” said Bottoms. “I’ve spoken with Georgians from North Georgia to Coastal Georgia about their health care premiums that have skyrocketed because ACA subsidies have not been extended. They are worried about how they’re going to afford these increases. Georgians deserve a governor who will fight back against these attacks on their health care.

“Republican leaders’ refusal to expand Medicaid in this state has already left more than 300,000 Georgians without health care coverage and forced nine rural hospitals, from Commerce to Cuthbert, to close. As governor, I will use every tool to bring down health care costs, expand Medicaid, and protect our rural hospitals.”

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