ATLANTA, Ga. — Shopping season for 2027 health coverage on Georgia Access, the state-run Affordable Care Act marketplace, opened Sunday, and buyers are facing another year of steep price increases.
The eight insurers selling plans on the exchange will charge 11% to 29% more next year, according to rates the state insurance commissioner’s office finalized in October. The average statewide premium before subsidies will be close to $932 a month, roughly 51% higher than two years ago. What any one household pays depends on age, location, income and the plan chosen.
It is the second straight year of double-digit increases. The extra federal premium help that many enrollees relied on has expired, and the cost of hospital care, doctor visits and high-priced drugs keeps climbing. Enrollment on the marketplace has also been falling, which leaves fewer customers to share insurers’ costs.
Enrollment counselors and agents expect some customers to move to cheaper plans with higher deductibles and others to drop coverage altogether, which could mean more uninsured patients showing up at hospitals.
The key dates are set. Anyone who picks a plan by Dec. 15 will have coverage starting Jan. 1, 2027. Open enrollment closes Jan. 15, and plans chosen after Dec. 15 take effect Feb. 1.
Shoppers can apply through georgiaaccess.gov, where a short questionnaire estimates whether a household qualifies for subsidies or low-cost coverage. Free help is available from enrollment assisters, who can walk people through every plan, while licensed agents advise on the plans they sell. Every Bronze plan on the exchange can be paired with a health savings account.
Filed under: Augusta GA Health News
