Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Healthcare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senator warns of 'statewide emergency' in health insurance enrollment and backs SB 379
Summary
A senator urged immediate action on rising premiums and falling exchange enrollment, said early data show enrollment down about 190,000 and premiums rising 'at an average of 200%,' and said he cosponsored Senate Bill 379 to use state subsidies to offset expiring federal premium assistance.
An unidentified senator (speaker 3) told the Georgia Senate that thousands of residents face sharply higher premiums and declining enrollment on the state's insurance exchange and urged the legislature to act.
"By midnight tonight, the last Georgian who can enroll in the marketplace will have made their choice," the senator said, framing the problem as urgent. He said "early numbers from December show enrollment in Georgia Access is down more than a 190,000 people compared to last year" and added "we're hearing premiums in Georgia rising at an average of 200%." He called that situation "a statewide emergency" and described the human consequences of unaffordable coverage: delayed care, more uncompensated treatment and pressure on hospitals.
The senator said he and colleagues cosponsored Senate Bill 379, the "Georgia health insurance affordability and consumer protection act," which would use state subsidies to cover cost increases caused by the expiration of some federal ACA premium subsidies. He urged the body to consider the bill as a targeted measure to keep premiums affordable for Georgians who lack employer-sponsored coverage.
No floor vote on SB 379 occurred during the session; the senator framed the measure as a legislative remedy and emphasized the potential public-health and fiscal implications of inaction.
