Just before Election Day, Donald Trump has ended Healthcare.gov in Georgia, the online site where millions of Americans sign up for health insurance.
The Trump administration approved Georgia’s plan to change how residents buy health insurance under Obama’s Affordable Care Act on Sunday.
The timing doesn’t go unnoticed in the swing state of Georgia. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Sunday that Trump sided with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s proposal just days before the presidential election.
Kemp proposed to shut down HealthCare.gov to Georgia residents and instead will have them find health insurance through brokers or private websites.
“The Obamacare Exchanges have not worked for Georgians, leaving them with fewer options and skyrocketing premiums,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a Sunday statement. “Today’s approval of the state’s waiver will usher in a groundswell of healthcare innovation that will deliver lower costs, better care, and more choice to Georgians in the individual market.”
Those against the proposal fear that this will make it harder for people to find insurance and encourage healthy people to get cheaper plans with limited coverage. That would then increase premiums for those who are older and sick and need the benefits that are required under Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2019 and made sure that millions of Americans were covered by expanding Medicaid.