COLUMBUS, Ga. - Georgia Access opened enrollment for 2027 health insurance plans Sunday, Nov. 1, giving Georgians until Dec. 15 to select a plan that begins coverage Jan. 1, 2027. The state's official health insurance marketplace will continue accepting enrollments through Jan. 15, 2027, for coverage beginning Feb. 1. The enrollment period comes as consumers face higher proposed insurance rates, a smaller marketplace enrollment population and the absence of a pre-enrollment window-shopping period, according to Georgia Access and reporting by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia Access provides online enrollment options, premium estimates and assistance for consumers comparing health coverage. The marketplace also offers a telephone contact center and a search tool to locate enrollment assistance. Consumers can begin at georgiaaccess.gov, where the state provides instructions for new and returning enrollees.

Two Deadlines Determine When Coverage Begins

Georgia Access lists two important enrollment deadlines for the 2027 coverage year. The first determines whether coverage begins on Jan. 1, while the second marks the end of the open-enrollment period. Both dates are published on the marketplace's official website.

Consumers who select a plan by Dec. 15, 2026, can have coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2027, according to Georgia Access. The marketplace identifies Jan. 15, 2027, as the final day of open enrollment and the last day to enroll for coverage starting Feb. 1. Those dates establish the timetable for selecting coverage through the state's marketplace.

The enrollment period began Nov. 1, 2026, according to Georgia Access. That opening date started the opportunity to review available enrollment options for the coming coverage year. The state's published schedule separates the deadline for January coverage from the final opportunity to enroll for February coverage.

How to Enroll Through Georgia Access

Georgia Access directs new consumers to an area of its website labeled "Explore Enrollment Options." From there, consumers can select "Help Me Choose" to identify an enrollment method. The marketplace says a consumer's eligibility, subsidy and premium remain the same regardless of which available enrollment method is selected.

The official website also offers a premium estimate form. According to Georgia Access, the form helps consumers determine whether they qualify for subsidies that can affect their insurance costs. This feature is part of the enrollment information available through the state's marketplace.

Returning enrollees can access the Georgia Access Portal by logging into their accounts, according to the marketplace. The portal is the identified entry point for consumers who have previously enrolled through Georgia Access. New consumers can instead begin with the enrollment-options process and use the site's assistance features to select a method.

The website's enrollment instructions distinguish between choosing an enrollment method and determining insurance eligibility. Georgia Access states that eligibility, subsidies and premiums remain unchanged across the enrollment methods it offers. Consumers therefore have several ways to complete the enrollment process while using the same eligibility and premium determinations.

Georgia Skips Its Pre-Enrollment Window-Shopping Period

Georgia did not offer a pre-enrollment window-shopping period before the 2027 open-enrollment season, according to an Oct. 2 report by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The state had offered such a period the previous year, allowing consumers additional time before enrollment opened. The Insurance Commissioner's office confirmed that the earlier review period would not be available this year.

Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson for the Insurance Commissioner's office, told the newspaper, "This year, due to some changes, we are unable to put forward a window-shopping period before open enrollment." The office did not provide a specific reason for the change, according to the report. As a result, the state's 2027 enrollment season began without the advance window-shopping period provided the previous year.

Laura Colbert of Georgians for a Healthy Future addressed the change in comments reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I think given the premium volatility, it's definitely not helpful for consumers to not have the extra time," Colbert said. Colbert's comments connected the absence of advance review time with changes in insurance premiums facing consumers.

Proposed Insurance Rate Increases Add to Cost Questions

Insurance companies were seeking significant premium increases ahead of the enrollment season, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The newspaper reported that an August list published by Georgia Recorder showed most insurers requesting increases of more than 20% compared with 2026 prices. Those proposals were not final at the time of the reporting.

The proposed changes represented a second consecutive year of projected double-digit insurance rate increases, according to the newspaper. The figures described insurers' requested changes rather than final approved 2027 premiums. They nevertheless provided an indication of the pricing pressures being discussed ahead of the new enrollment period.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported that enhanced federal Affordable Care Act tax credits expired at the end of the previous year. That change was part of the broader financial context surrounding the 2027 enrollment season. Georgia Access continues to provide a premium estimate form that shows whether consumers qualify for subsidies.

Georgia Marketplace Enrollment Falls About 30%

Georgia's marketplace enrollment had declined substantially before the new enrollment season, according to figures reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. About 1.3 million Georgians were enrolled through the exchange the previous fall, compared with approximately 900,000 as of early September 2026. The change represents a decline of roughly 400,000 people.

Using the reported figures, the decrease from 1.3 million to 900,000 amounts to approximately 30.8%, or roughly 30%. The newspaper characterized the reduction as a decline of about 30%. Those figures describe statewide enrollment rather than enrollment specifically in Columbus or Muscogee County.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that most people who left the exchange were believed to be uninsured, although some may have obtained coverage through employers. The available figures therefore do not establish that every person who left marketplace coverage became uninsured. They do show a substantial reduction in the number of Georgians enrolled through the exchange before the 2027 open-enrollment period began.

Free Enrollment Help Available for Columbus Residents

Georgia Access provides a "Find Local Assistance" search on its official website for consumers seeking help with enrollment. The marketplace identifies agents and assisters as two types of available enrollment support. According to Georgia Access, agents advise consumers about selected plans, while assisters can walk consumers through all plans.

The local-assistance search provides a way for Columbus-area consumers to look for enrollment support through the state marketplace. Georgia Access identifies this assistance as free. Consumers can use the official website to locate available assistance rather than relying exclusively on the online enrollment process.

The distinction between agents and assisters is explained on the Georgia Access website. Agents provide advice concerning selected plans, while assisters guide consumers through the full range of plans. Both are listed as options for consumers seeking enrollment assistance through the marketplace.

Georgia Access Phone Numbers and Contact Center Hours

Georgia Access operates a consumer contact center at 888-687-1503, with TTY assistance available through 711. The marketplace publishes extended operating hours for the open-enrollment period. It also advises consumers to check current hours before calling.

These hours are listed by Georgia Access for its consumer contact center during open enrollment. The website includes a reminder that operating hours should be checked before making a call. The consumer telephone number is also published alongside the marketplace's online enrollment information.

Georgia Access separately lists a partner support line at 888-312-4237, with TTY assistance through 711. That number is distinct from the consumer contact center number. The marketplace identifies 888-687-1503 as the contact number for consumers seeking assistance.

Enrollment Information Available Online

The official Georgia Access website brings together the enrollment calendar, enrollment-method selection, premium estimation and local-assistance search. Returning consumers can log into the Georgia Access Portal, while new consumers can begin with "Explore Enrollment Options" and "Help Me Choose." The marketplace also provides the consumer contact center for additional enrollment assistance.

The dates published by Georgia Access establish Dec. 15, 2026, as the deadline for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The state identifies Jan. 15, 2027, as the final open-enrollment deadline for coverage beginning Feb. 1. Both deadlines and the enrollment options are available through georgiaaccess.gov.