Every Option Compared: Georgia Health Coverage Choices for 2027

The short answer

If your income qualifies for a big Marketplace tax credit, start there. If you pay full price and everyone in your household is generally healthy, an alternative such as health sharing plus a primary care membership often costs less each month. It isn't insurance, and it has real limits. The table below shows where each option fits.

Your options at a glance

Why so many Georgians are comparing

About 1.32 million Georgians signed up for a 2026 plan during open enrollment (source), but many didn't keep paying: enrollment fell to about 950,000 by April 2026, down roughly 37% from January 2025 (source). Prices rose about 34.6% on average for 2026, and the average monthly amount enrollees paid after any credit rose from $74 to $164 (source). For 2027, insurers proposed increases averaging about 20.7%, from about 12% to 27% depending on the company. Cigna and UnitedHealthcare are leaving Georgia's Marketplace at the end of 2026, so their members must choose a new plan (source).

Households earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level generally get no tax credit now. That's where most of our calls come from: self-employed people, truckers and logistics contractors, and early retirees paying the full price.

Insurance options (we can't help you buy these)

A Marketplace plan

Since 2025, Georgia has run its own Marketplace, Georgia Access (georgiaaccess.gov), instead of the federal Marketplace. You can enroll there or through approved broker and insurer websites that connect to it. It's the only way to get a federal tax credit on an individual plan. Open enrollment for 2027 plans runs November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 (source); enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1 (source). Check Georgia Access for the final deadline. ACA plans must cover pre-existing conditions and pregnancy, which makes them the right choice for many households.

Georgia Medicaid, Pathways and the coverage gap

Georgia hasn't fully expanded Medicaid. Instead, Georgia Pathways to Coverage covers adults with income under the poverty line who report at least 80 hours a month of work or other qualifying activity (source); fewer than 18,000 people were enrolled as of May 2026 (source). The limit for parents in regular Medicaid is very low. Children can get coverage through Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids, and pregnant women qualify at higher incomes. People with incomes too low for a Marketplace tax credit who don't qualify for Medicaid fall into what's called the coverage gap: about 175,000 Georgians, by one estimate (source).

If that's you, check Georgia Access and Medicaid anyway, because the rules have exceptions, and look at community health centers, which charge on a sliding scale. Health sharing and a primary care membership aren't insurance, but they're one option some households in the gap choose. We'll be honest about whether it makes sense.

Short-term plans

Georgia doesn't set its own limit on short-term plans, and insurers there offered plans lasting up to 36 months in total, including renewals, in early 2026; some limit plans to six months (source). They're insurance, but they can turn you down or exclude pre-existing conditions. See short-term plans vs health sharing. A licensed agent can explain specific plans.

The alternatives (what we help with)

None of these is insurance. Each one does a specific job, which is why we usually pair them:

Direct primary care

A monthly membership with a primary care practice: visits, questions and follow-ups with no copay. Georgia's Direct Primary Care Act says a direct primary care agreement is not insurance and isn't subject to the state's insurance laws (source). A DPC membership doesn't pay for specialists, hospitals or emergencies, so it's never enough by itself. Read direct primary care in Georgia.

Health care sharing

Members share each other's eligible medical bills under written guidelines. For each new illness or injury (a "Need"), you pay your Initial Unshareable Amount, and eligible costs above it can be shared. There's no provider network. It's built for big, unexpected bills, and it leaves out routine care, most ongoing prescriptions, dental and vision. Read how health sharing works in Georgia.

Discount plans

Dental, vision and prescription discount plans give you reduced fees at participating providers. They don't pay providers. See dental savings plans.

How to choose: five questions

1. What would a Marketplace plan cost you after your tax credit? Check at Georgia Access. If it's low, that's hard to beat.
2. Does anyone have an ongoing condition they need paid for this year? If yes, insurance.
3. Is a pregnancy likely in the next nine months? If yes, insurance for now.
4. Could you pay the Initial Unshareable Amount, up to three times in a bad year? If not, choose a lower amount or reconsider.
5. Do you want a guarantee? Sharing is voluntary. If you need a contract that has to pay, buy insurance.

If your answers point to the alternatives, the next step is the price table. Or tell us about your household and we'll walk through it with you.

Common questions

Written and reviewed by Graham Kerswell. Last updated October 19, 2026. Facts and prices are checked against the sources named on this page.

Sources

• Georgia Marketplace guide: Georgia Access, 2026 and proposed 2027 rates, insurers, enrollment, Pathways (healthinsurance.org, updated Jul 17, 2026)
• Georgia's ACA enrollment plunges, raising concerns for rural hospitals (Georgia Recorder / The Current GA, Apr 20, 2026)
• Georgia Access: coverage effective dates during open enrollment (help.georgiaaccess.gov)
• Georgia Medicaid, Pathways to Coverage and the coverage gap (healthinsurance.org, updated Sep 17, 2026)
• Short-term health insurance in Georgia (healthinsurance.org, updated Sep 17, 2026)
• Georgia SB 18 (2019), the Direct Primary Care Act: a direct primary care agreement is not insurance
• O.C.G.A. § 33-1-20, health care sharing ministries (criteria and required notice)