Before you start

Georgia residence
Income information for subsidy or Pathways eligibility
An SSN or ITIN for marketplace applications
Evidence of qualifying activity, if using Pathways

Step-by-step

1
Enrol in your employer's plan within the new-hire window
Typically 30 days from your start date. In a state without standard Medicaid expansion, employer coverage carries more weight than it would in New York or Washington — compare deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums between offers, not just salary.
Via employerWho: YouFirst 30 days of employment
2
Use Georgia Access, not HealthCare.gov
Georgia transitioned to its own state-based exchange on 1 November 2024. The 2026 open enrolment period opened on 31 October 2025. Bookmarks, brokers and guides pointing at the federal site are describing the previous system.
OnlineWho: You
3
If your income is low, understand Pathways before relying on it
Pathways to Coverage offers Medicaid to adults 19–64 up to 100% of the federal poverty level, conditional on completing at least 80 hours a month of work, study, training or approved volunteering — and on reporting it. Coverage can lapse for a reporting failure rather than an income change, which is a materially different risk from Medicaid elsewhere.
OnlineWho: You
4
Register with a primary care physician
Your PCP gates specialist access in most plans. Confirm network status with the practice directly rather than the insurer directory. Note that rural Georgia has significant provider shortages, which matters if you settle outside the metro.
OnlineWho: You
5
Learn the urgent care versus emergency room distinction
An ER visit for something a clinic could treat can cost thousands even insured. Urgent care handles fractures, stitches and infections far more cheaply.
In personWho: You
6
Prepare for pollen season if you have any respiratory sensitivity
Atlanta's spring pollen counts are among the highest in the United States, and people who have never had allergies develop them here. If you have asthma, establish care and get prescriptions in place before March.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Proof of Georgia residence
Income documentation for subsidies or Pathways
Evidence of 80 hours of monthly qualifying activity, if using Pathways
SSN or ITIN
Immigration documents for marketplace eligibility categories

Things most newcomers don’t know

Pathways ties Medicaid to 80 hours a month of activity — and to reporting it.

Georgia did not take the standard Medicaid expansion. Instead, adults 19–64 up to 100% of the federal poverty level qualify only if they complete at least 80 hours a month of work, study, training or approved volunteering and report it. Coverage can therefore end because paperwork lapsed rather than because income rose. No other state in this app works this way.

Source: Georgia Pathways to Coverage

Georgia left the federal marketplace in November 2024.

Georgia Access became the state's exchange for plan year 2025 and is where Georgians now shop and enrol. The change is recent enough that plenty of brokers, articles and even employer onboarding packets still direct people to HealthCare.gov. Going to the wrong site wastes an enrolment window.

Source: Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance — Georgia Access launch

The deductible is what will surprise you, not the premium.

US plans commonly require you to pay the first several thousand dollars of care yourself each year. Someone from a national health service reads 'I have insurance' as 'I am covered', then receives a $2,800 bill for a scan.

Source: community-reported

Atlanta's pollen season is a genuine medical event.

Spring pollen counts here rank among the highest in the country, and the visible yellow layer on cars is the tree pollen people react to. Newcomers with no allergy history routinely develop symptoms in their first spring. If you have asthma, have a plan and a prescription before March rather than after.

Source: community-reported