COBRA in Georgia

Two things make Georgia different. Its state continuation law is among the shortest in the country, lasting months rather than the year and a half federal COBRA provides. And since November 2024, Georgia has run its own health insurance marketplace instead of using HealthCare.gov.

Reviewed by Prodest Insurance Group, a licensed insurance agency (NPN 19515569) · Updated 20 October 2026 against Georgia and federal sources.

Prefer to talk? Call (888) 918-4516 · Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern

Georgia State Continuation Is Short

If your employer had twenty or more staff, federal COBRA applies and the usual rules hold. Below that threshold, Georgia’s continuation law takes over, and it offers far less.

	Federal COBRA	Georgia state continuation
Employer size	20 or more employees	Fewer than 20 employees
How long	18 months for job loss, up to 36 for other events	The rest of the month coverage ends, plus three months
Prior coverage needed	None	Six months of continuous coverage before the qualifying event
Gross misconduct	Excluded	Excluded

Plan for a bridge, not a stay

Three months is enough to cross a short gap between jobs. It is not enough to carry a household through a long search, and it will not reach the next Open Enrollment from most points in the year.

If you are leaving a small employer in Georgia, treat state continuation as breathing space while you arrange something longer, rather than as the answer.

The six-month prior coverage requirement also catches people out. If you had been on the plan for less than six months when you left, Georgia continuation may not be open to you at all.

Georgia Has Its Own Marketplace Now

This is the change most people have not caught up with. Georgia moved off HealthCare.gov and launched Georgia Access, its own state-based exchange, for the 2025 plan year. Everyone previously enrolled through HealthCare.gov was migrated across automatically.

Georgia Access is run by the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire. Premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions work the same way they do elsewhere, and the cost of a plan is the same however you enrol.

Georgia is built around working with an agent

Georgia Access is the first state exchange to use Enhanced Direct Enrollment, meaning certified agents and web brokers can complete enrolment directly rather than sending you to a government portal. The state reports that around 80 percent of Georgia consumers enrolled with help from an agent during its first year.

If you are in Georgia, working with a licensed agent is not a detour around the system. It is how the system was designed to be used.

Health Insurance After Job Loss in Georgia

Georgia did not expand Medicaid in the way most states did. Instead it operates Georgia Pathways to Coverage, which extends Medicaid to some low-income adults who meet a qualifying activity requirement such as work, study, or volunteering.

Children may qualify for PeachCare for Kids, Georgia’s CHIP programme, which covers families earning above the Medicaid threshold. There is no enrolment window for Medicaid or CHIP, so you can apply at any point in the year.

The practical effect is that adults in Georgia who would qualify for Medicaid in an expansion state often do not qualify here, which makes comparing marketplace and private options more important rather than less.

How Much Does COBRA Cost in Georgia?

Federal COBRA lets a plan charge up to 102 percent of the full premium: everything your employer was paying, everything you were paying, plus two percent. Based on Georgia's average employer premium in 2025, that works out to about $757 a month for single coverage and $2,247 a month for family coverage. That is close to the U.S. average of $767 a month for single coverage.

	Single coverage	Family coverage
Average full annual premium in Georgia	$8,907	$26,439
Estimated COBRA cost per month (102%)	$757	$2,247

Estimate = average total employer premium in Georgia × 1.02 ÷ 12, from the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2025). These are averages. Your exact premium depends on your former employer's plan and is listed on your COBRA election notice. If you are on state continuation instead of federal COBRA, the premium rules described on this page apply.

Compare COBRA costs in every state →
Estimate your own premium with the COBRA cost calculator →
Nearby states: Alabama · Florida · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee

Common Questions

How much is COBRA insurance in Georgia?

About $757 a month for single coverage and $2,247 a month for family coverage, based on Georgia's 2025 average employer premium plus the 2 percent administrative fee federal COBRA allows. Your actual premium depends on your former employer's plan and appears on your COBRA election notice.

What are my health insurance options after losing my job in Georgia?

Georgia moved off HealthCare.gov and runs its own exchange, Georgia Access. Losing job-based coverage opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period there. Georgia did not expand Medicaid in the way most states did. Instead it operates Georgia Pathways to Coverage, which extends Medicaid to some low-income adults who meet a qualifying activity requirement such as work, study, or volunteering. Children may qualify for PeachCare for Kids, Georgia's CHIP programme, which covers families earning above the Medicaid threshold. There is no enrolment window for Medicaid or CHIP, so you can apply at any point in the year.

How long does Georgia state continuation last?

The rest of the month your coverage ends, plus three months. Federal COBRA, which applies at employers with 20 or more employees, lasts 18 months.

Who does Georgia continuation apply to?

Employers with fewer than 20 employees. Larger employers fall under federal COBRA.

Do I need prior coverage to qualify?

Yes. Georgia requires six months of continuous coverage before the qualifying event.

Does Georgia still use HealthCare.gov?

No. Since the 2025 plan year Georgia has run its own marketplace, Georgia Access, operated by the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire.

Do tax credits work the same on Georgia Access?

Yes. Premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions work the same way they do elsewhere, and the cost of a plan is the same however you enrol.

Did Georgia expand Medicaid?

Not in the way most states did. Georgia Pathways to Coverage extends Medicaid to some low-income adults who meet a qualifying activity requirement such as work, study, or volunteering.

Can my children get coverage?

Children may qualify for PeachCare for Kids, Georgia's CHIP programme. There is no enrolment window for Medicaid or CHIP.

Sources

Drawn from Georgia state and federal sources. Your plan documents and the terms your carrier provides govern your specific situation.

Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, Georgia Access to Launch as State-based Exchange
Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, Georgia’s First Open Enrollment as a State-Based Exchange
U.S. Department of Labor, FAQs on COBRA Continuation Health Coverage for Workers
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component, 2025

Talk to a licensed agent in Georgia

We are licensed in Georgia and can enrol you directly. A licensed agent can confirm which continuation rules apply to you, work out your deadlines, and price your alternatives. No charge, no obligation.

Prefer to talk? Call (888) 918-4516 · Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern

This page is general information about Georgia and federal continuation coverage, not advice about your specific situation. Rules, availability, pricing, and eligibility vary by employer, plan, carrier, and household. Review your plan documents and speak with a licensed agent about your circumstances.

This website provides educational information about health insurance and is a solicitation for insurance. It is a non-government website operated by Prodest Insurance Group, a health insurance agency that presents health plans, which may include Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, private health insurance, short-term medical insurance, or supplemental insurance based on the consumer's selection. Qualified ACA plans must meet or exceed the essential benefit requirements of the Affordable Care Act; non-ACA plans are not required to provide all of the essential benefit requirements contained in the Affordable Care Act. Pre-existing condition provisions, benefit availability, limitations and exclusions vary by plan type and state. You should review all plan details and product brochures before purchase. To qualify for ACA health insurance coverage outside of the open enrollment period, you must meet special enrollment requirements.

*Eligibility for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) and cost-sharing reductions is based on annual federal income thresholds, household size, and plan availability within the applicable service area. Premium rates, plan availability, and subsidy amounts vary by state and marketplace. Final eligibility and premium obligations are determined by the Health Insurance Marketplace under Internal Revenue Code Section 36B and applicable federal regulations.

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