Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee for governor of Georgia, supports the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; his campaign told Fox News on April 27, 2026 that he supports the bill, "Period," and that he "has long opposed Obamacare." The law changes the Affordable Care Act marketplace in ways the Congressional Budget Office expects to leave 2.1 million more people uninsured in 2034, starting with a rule that, from the 2026 tax year, enrollees must repay every dollar of excess premium tax credits.
Nearly every Georgia marketplace enrollee uses those credits: 96 percent did in 2025. Jackson's own company's recruiting firm wrote that the law's cuts to Medicaid and ACA programs "raise serious concerns about access, equity, and sustainability."
Rick Jackson's Support for the Law's Marketplace Changes
- Jackson Backs the Law That Makes Marketplace Enrollees Repay Excess Tax Credits in Full, Starting With 2026. Rick Jackson's campaign spokesman, Mike Schrimpf, told Fox News Digital on April 27, 2026: "Rick supports the Big Beautiful Bill. Period." Beginning with the 2026 tax year, the law removes the limits on how much a marketplace enrollee whose income turns out higher than estimated must pay back at tax time. Before the law, repayment for most families was capped by income, at amounts from $375 for a single person with low income up to $3,250 for some families in 2025; now the whole excess is due. The Congressional Budget Office expects the change to leave 100,000 more people uninsured in 2034.
- The Law Jackson Backs Ends Automatic Renewal of Marketplace Coverage From 2028. From 2028, the law Rick Jackson supports requires enrollees' income, household and other details to be verified before they can receive premium tax credits, which KFF says effectively ends automatic renewal; nearly half of marketplace enrollees renewed automatically in 2025. The Congressional Budget Office expects this change to leave 700,000 more people uninsured in 2034, since enrollees can no longer get the credits until their eligibility is verified.
- The Law Jackson Backs Cuts Off Tax Credits for Many Lawfully Present Immigrants. The law Rick Jackson supports bars many lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, people granted asylum and people with Temporary Protected Status, from subsidized marketplace coverage starting in 2027, and from 2026 denies credits to lawfully present immigrants below the poverty line who are kept out of Medicaid by their status. The Congressional Budget Office expects these two provisions to leave 900,000 and 300,000 more people uninsured in 2034.
- The Law Jackson Backs Denies Tax Credits to People Who Sign Up Through Income-Based Enrollment Periods. Starting with 2026 plans, the law Rick Jackson supports denies premium tax credits and cost-sharing help to anyone who enrolls through a special enrollment period that is not tied to a life event, such as the year-round sign-up offered to people with low incomes. People with incomes under 150 percent of the poverty line were the largest group of marketplace enrollees in 2025, 47 percent, and the Congressional Budget Office expects the rule to leave 400,000 more people uninsured in 2034.
- Jackson Backs the Law Without Reservation, While His Own Company Warned About Its ACA Cuts. In the same April 2026 statement to Fox News, Rick Jackson's campaign set no limits on his support for the law. Jackson Physician Search, part of Jackson Healthcare, the company Jackson founded and leads, listed "Reduced and restricted ACA premium tax credits" among the law's key provisions in September 2025 and warned of the strain the law puts on patients and providers. The firm cited a Congressional Budget Office estimate that "more than 10 million Americans could lose coverage over the next decade" from the law's eligibility rules and work requirements together with the expiration of the enhanced premium credits.
What the Marketplace Changes Rick Jackson Supports Mean for Georgia Access Enrollees
- Almost all Georgia marketplace enrollees rely on the tax credits the law restricts. In Georgia, 96 percent of marketplace enrollees used advance premium tax credits in 2025, and because Georgia has not expanded Medicaid, more low-income Georgians rely on the marketplace than in most states, a patient advocacy group told The Current GA.
- About 900,000 Georgians are covered through Georgia Access. Georgia Access, the state's marketplace, covers about 900,000 Georgians, the Georgia Recorder reported in August 2026; the enrollees among them who use tax credits face the law's repayment and verification rules.
- 150,000 more Georgians will be uninsured because of the law. KFF projects the law alone will leave 150,000 more Georgians without health insurance in 2034, and a Georgia hospital leader told the Georgia Recorder that people without coverage put off care until they are sicker and then end up in hospital emergency rooms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rick Jackson on Insurance costs
What is Rick Jackson's record on insurance costs under Trump?
Rick Jackson's campaign said in April 2026 that he supports the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and has long opposed the Affordable Care Act. The law makes marketplace enrollees repay excess tax credits in full, ends automatic renewal from 2028 and cuts off credits for some lawfully present immigrants and some low-income enrollees, and the Congressional Budget Office expects each of those changes to add to the number of uninsured Americans.
Does Rick Jackson support the Affordable Care Act?
No. Rick Jackson's campaign told Fox News in April 2026 that he "has long opposed Obamacare," and that he supports the law that restricts the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits. In Georgia, where the state runs its own marketplace, 96 percent of enrollees used those credits in 2025.
Will Georgians have to renew their marketplace coverage every year under the law Rick Jackson supports?
Yes. Under the law Rick Jackson supports, from 2028 Georgia Access enrollees must prove their eligibility before any tax credit is paid, so coverage no longer rolls over on its own, which is how nearly half of marketplace enrollees kept their coverage in 2025.
Last updated: 2026-10-26