‘The most draconian cuts imaginable’: Health care providers, advocates brace for Medicaid cuts

As the dust settles in the wake of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” — the massive spending cut and tax break package signed into law early this month — it’s becoming clearer that Georgia’s health care landscape may look dramatically different in 2026.

Health insurers, providers and advocates alike are bracing for the impact that the federal budget reconciliation bill will have on health care access throughout the state over the next decade. The bill’s sweeping Medicaid cuts are expected to reduce federal health care funding in Georgia by $2.29 billion, according to data from the nonprofit health policy research organization KFF. 

In addition, roughly 310,000 people across Georgia are projected to lose access to health insurance by 2034. That number could rise to 750,000 if Congress allows enhanced tax credits for those insured through the Affordable Care Act to expire this year.