Prescription savings guide

Losing Health Insurance in Georgia (2026 Guide)

Last updated September 8, 2026 · Reviewed by the LowerScript editorial team · Español

If you've lost job-based health insurance in Georgia, you generally have 60 days to enroll in a Marketplace plan under a special enrollment period, or you can elect COBRA to continue your old employer plan (usually at full premium cost). Georgia does not automatically cover low-income adults through Medicaid expansion, so check Georgia Pathways to Coverage if you have no other option. In the meantime, a free discount card keeps prescription costs down no matter what coverage you end up with.

Your options, in order

1. 1

   COBRA

   Continues your exact former employer plan, but you pay the full premium — compare this cost against a Marketplace plan before deciding.

2. 2

   ACA Marketplace special enrollment

   Losing job-based coverage triggers a special enrollment period, generally 60 days, to sign up for a plan through HealthCare.gov (Georgia's exchange, Georgia Access). 1,324,295 Georgians selected a Marketplace plan for 2026, and 89% of 2026 enrollees receive a subsidy (KFF State Health Facts; healthinsurance.org, Georgia Health Insurance Marketplace). That marketplace is getting more expensive: those 2027 rate filings have since been finalized at a weighted average of 20.7% before subsidies for the individual market (as of September 2026, per healthinsurance.org's Georgia ACA Marketplace guide, citing Georgia Insurance Department SERFF filings), and two of the state's current carriers, Cigna and UnitedHealthcare, will not offer Georgia Access plans for 2027 (as of 2026, per healthinsurance.org and The Current GA/Georgia Recorder), on top of steep 2026 increases tied to the expiration of enhanced federal premium tax credits — and roughly 350,000 Georgians dropped Marketplace coverage between spring 2025 and spring 2026 as the market absorbed the cost shift (Georgia Recorder, Aug. 31, 2026, citing insurer rate filings and Georgia Access enrollment data).

3. 3

   Medicaid or Georgia Pathways to Coverage

   Georgia has not expanded Medicaid. If your income is low enough, check standard Medicaid eligibility; if you're a childless adult without a qualifying disability, Georgia Pathways to Coverage — a work-requirement waiver extended by CMS through December 31, 2026 (Office of Gov. Brian Kemp, Sept. 25, 2025) — may be your route. See prescription help for the uninsured in Georgia for eligibility detail.

Keep filling prescriptions in the meantime

Whichever option you choose, gaps happen. A free LowerScript card works with no insurance at all, so you can keep filling your regular medications while you sort out longer-term coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: KFF State Health Facts, Total Marketplace Plan Selections; healthinsurance.org, Georgia Health Insurance Marketplace: 2026 ACA Coverage Guide; Office of Gov. Brian Kemp, CMS Approves Georgia Pathways to Coverage™ Extension (Sept. 25, 2025). This guide is general information, not medical, legal or financial advice. Confirm deadlines and eligibility at HealthCare.gov or dch.georgia.gov. LowerScript is a discount program, not insurance.

More guides: Prescription Help for the Uninsured in Georgia · Georgia Prescription Assistance Programs · Insurance vs Cash Price: Which Is Cheaper?  |  All savings guides · Drug prices