Georgia Access: ACA health insurance in Georgia

The Health Insurance Marketplace is a service that helps people shop for and enroll in health insurance. Most states use the federal Marketplace at HealthCare.gov, but Georgia runs its own, Georgia Access, so in Georgia you apply and enroll through Georgia Access rather than HealthCare.gov.

Every Marketplace plan follows Affordable Care Act rules, and plans are grouped into metal tiers so they are easier to compare. The Georgia Access application also checks whether your household can get help paying premiums, based on your expected income for the year. Our guide to how ACA premium tax credits work explains the calculation, and the metal tier guide explains Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Georgia Access became a state-based exchange on November 1, 2024. Since then, Georgians shop for, compare and enroll in Marketplace plans through Georgia Access instead of HealthCare.gov. The plans still follow ACA rules, and help paying premiums still comes from federal premium tax credits.

Georgia Access lists four ways to enroll: its own consumer portal at GeorgiaAccess.gov, a certified agent, a web broker, or an insurance company directly. It says your eligibility, financial help and plan prices stay the same whichever way you choose, so the choice comes down to how much help you want. Our guide to how Georgia Access enrollment works walks through each path.

Most people enroll or change Marketplace plans during the annual Open Enrollment Period. Outside that window, you generally need a life change, such as losing other coverage, moving, getting married or having a baby, that opens a Special Enrollment Period.

Special Enrollment Periods have their own deadlines and may ask for documents, so it helps to act soon after the life change. Our guide to ACA Special Enrollment Periods walks through the common triggers, and health insurance between jobs covers one of the most common situations.

Georgia Access automatically re-enrolls people in their current plan ahead of Open Enrollment and sends a notice. But if your insurance company is not offering plans in your area for 2027, Georgia Access says you will need to select a new plan yourself.

Watch for letters or emails from Georgia Access and your insurance company before Open Enrollment, since they explain changes to premiums and estimated financial help. Then update your income on the application and compare plans. Choosing by December 15, 2026 means your new plan can start January 1. Our guide to ACA Open Enrollment explains what to review.

When you ask for help paying for coverage, the Georgia Access application first checks whether anyone in your household may be eligible for Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids, and sends those applications to the Division of Family and Children Services for a decision.

Premium tax credits through Georgia Access require an estimated household income above 100% of the federal poverty level. Below that level, Georgia's public programs are the place to look: Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids, and Georgia Pathways to Coverage, a separate Medicaid program with its own rules. You apply for those through Georgia Gateway, and the Department of Community Health publishes the current Pathways rules.

A licensed agent who is certified with Georgia Access can help you fill out the application, estimate your household income for the year, compare the plans offered where you live, and finish enrollment. There is no obligation to enroll.

An agent can also help you check whether your doctors and prescriptions work with a plan before you choose it, and can help again at renewal time. Start with our ACA health insurance overview, or go back to the Georgia state guide.