How a Health Insurance Shortfall in Georgia Could Play Out in the Midterms

June 14, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

How a Health Insurance Shortfall in Georgia Could Play Out in the Midterms

John Chaikowski, an independent insurance broker in Georgia, has spent 17 years helping people find health coverage. He calls the latest open enrollment period the hardest he has ever seen. "Seeing the rates jump overnight from one year to the next, that significant, you know, 30 to 40%—that was a shock to the system," he says. "People in tears saying, 'I can't pay for this. I'm gonna have to go uninsured.'" The cause is what Chaikowski calls a "double whammy": premiums for Affordable Care Act–compliant plans have risen, and the enhanced federal tax credits that helped people pay for them expired on January 1. The nonpartisan health research organization KFF estimates that average annual premium payments for ACA marketplace enrollees will more than double, from $888 in 2025 to roughly $1,900 this year. Chaikowski says in a few cases he saw families' premiums triple.

The Human Cost of Lapsed Subsidies

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction & The Problem** - Host Sabrina Sidiki introduces the episode: how a health insurance shortfall in Georgia could impact the midterms.
2 (03:23) **The Stakes in Georgia** - Sidiki frames the episode: speaking with Georgians navigating higher costs and pollsters about the upcoming primary runoff elections.
3 (04:17) **Voter Profile: Joey Bernard** - A Republican-leaning voter in Ballground, Georgia, whose family's premium jumped from $800 to $1,600-$2,040 overnight.
4 (05:32) **Voter Profile: Elizabeth Barnett** - A voter in Stone Mountain, Georgia, whose family is making tough choices due to higher healthcare costs.
5 (06:54) **The Political Landscape & Runoff Context** - Georgia’s upcoming runoff elections will decide a Republican challenger to take on Democratic Senator John Ossoff.
6 (08:48) **Pollster Analysis: Party Trust on Healthcare** - Democratic pollster John Anzalone and Republican pollster Adam Geller discuss voter sentiment.
7 (10:06) **Voter Blame & Financial Anxiety** - Pollsters analyze who voters blame for rising premiums and the broader financial strain.

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Show Notes

Thousands of residents in the Peach State have dropped out of health insurance coverage since the start of 2025, prompted in part by this year’s expiration of enhanced federal subsidies that helped them pay their monthly premiums. For our special What’s News series The Cost-of-Living Election, WSJ national politics reporter Sabrina Siddiqui speaks to Republican pollster Adam Geller and Democratic pollster John Anzalone. They discuss voters’ expectations of Congress when it comes to healthcare costs, Democrats’ trust advantage on healthcare, and whether that could swing the election to their party—including incumbent Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff—in November.

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