Georgia has one of the fastest-growing self-employed and small-business populations in the Southeast: 1099 contractors, gig workers, and solo founders who all buy their own coverage. I'm licensed in Georgia and help individuals, families, and the self-employed — from Atlanta and Savannah to Augusta, Columbus, and Macon — find private under-65 plans that fit, available year-round.
Georgia runs its own health-insurance exchange, Georgia Access, where residents enroll in ACA marketplace plans. This part is newer than most guides admit: Georgia moved off the federal HealthCare.gov to its own state platform, so any advice telling a Georgian to "go to HealthCare.gov" is now out of date. Marketplace plans on Georgia Access are guaranteed-issue and, if your income qualifies, subsidy-eligible. Alongside that sits the private under-65 market, sold directly by insurers, often with PPO-style networks and year-round enrollment.
A note for Georgia: I'm licensed here and I help Georgians with private, under-65 health insurance — coverage you can apply for year-round, with no enrollment window to miss. What I don't do in Georgia is enroll you in an ACA marketplace plan through Georgia Access, the state's own exchange (that takes a separate Georgia Access certification I don't hold). If a subsidized marketplace plan is your best fit, you can enroll at georgiaaccess.gov or with a Georgia Access–certified agent — and I'll tell you straight if that's the better route for you.
No. Georgia has no state individual mandate and no penalty for going without coverage. The federal tax penalty has been $0 since 2019, and Georgia never added one of its own, so legally you are not required to carry health insurance here. Practically, going uninsured means a single accident or diagnosis can turn into a bill with no ceiling, which is why most self-employed Georgians still carry a plan. The real question is usually which kind, not whether.
One honest caveat before you lean private. Private under-65 plans are medically underwritten — your health history is part of the application, so a pre-existing condition can mean a higher rate or, sometimes, a decline. ACA marketplace plans through Georgia Access are guaranteed issue — no one can be turned down or charged more for their health, and if your income qualifies, subsidies can make them the least expensive option outright. So private tends to fit you if you're generally healthy, self-employed or between jobs, earning above the subsidy range, or you need coverage outside an enrollment window. If you have a pre-existing condition, you're likely subsidy-eligible, or guaranteed-issue peace of mind matters to you, start with Georgia Access — and I'll tell you straight if that's your better route, even though it's not what I place.
If cost is the main worry, the honest first stop may not be private insurance at all. Georgia has not expanded Medicaid the way most states did; instead it runs a limited program called Pathways to Coverage for lower-income adults who meet a work or activity requirement, alongside standard Medicaid and PeachCare for kids. If your income is low enough you may qualify for one of those, and if you fall in the gap between them and marketplace-subsidy eligibility, that's worth sorting out before you shop. I'll point you to the right door even when it isn't mine.
Independent means I work for you, not one insurer — I compare your real options and recommend what actually fits. One licensed advisor, start to finish. Licensed in 31 states, including Georgia. (Ryan Michalek, NPN 21043091.)
No. Georgia has no state individual mandate and no penalty. The federal penalty has been $0 since 2019, and Georgia hasn't added its own, so you are not legally required to carry coverage. Most people still do, because going uninsured means an accident or diagnosis can become a bill with no cap.
Georgia Access is Georgia's own health-insurance exchange, the state's version of the ACA marketplace that replaced the federal HealthCare.gov for Georgians. You use it to enroll in a marketplace plan and to claim any income-based subsidy. I focus on private under-65 coverage rather than enrolling people through Georgia Access, so if a marketplace plan is your best fit I'll point you to georgiaaccess.gov or a Georgia Access certified agent.
Often, yes. Marketplace plans through Georgia Access are generally open once a year: Open Enrollment for 2027 coverage starts November 1, 2026, and the closing date is unsettled — a 2025 federal rule (the Marketplace Integrity and Affordability rule) set December 15, but a court vacated it in June 2026 and the ruling is under appeal, so many states are expected to keep January 15. As the state's own exchange, Georgia Access sets its own deadline; either way, enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1, 2027. A qualifying life event (losing a job, moving, marriage, a new baby) can open a special enrollment window at other times. Private under-65 plans are different: many can be applied for any time of year, which is often the better fit if you missed the window or went 1099 mid-year.
No. I'm paid a commission by the insurance carrier when you enroll, the same way an in-house agent would be, so there's no charge to you for my time, no matter how many plans we compare.
Marketplace enrollment dates verified July 29, 2026.
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