HB1480: HB1480 Georgia Medicare for All Act; enact

This bill has several major parts. The largest creates the Georgia Medicare for All Program, a state government health plan that would automatically enroll every Georgia resident and cover medical, dental, vision, mental health, reproductive, and gender-affirming care with no premiums or copays. A new Georgia Medicare for All Board would run the program, funded through a new trust fund, and the coverage requirement would only take effect once the General Assembly specifically appropriates money for it in a budget bill. Separately, the bill repeals Georgia's 'Woman's Right to Know Act' and physician abortion-obligation law, replacing them with a new 'Reproductive Freedom Act' that establishes a right to abortion and contraception and bars law enforcement from investigating pregnancy outcomes. It also repeals the 2023 law banning gender-affirming surgery and hormone therapy for minors, repeals the 2014 law blocking Medicaid expansion, and undoes several 2019 'heartbeat bill' provisions in tax, family, and criminal law. Most of these non-Medicare-for-All parts take effect immediately if signed into law.

• Creates the Georgia Medicare for All Program, automatically enrolling every Georgia resident in a state single-payer health plan with no premiums, copays, or deductibles for covered services.
• Establishes a Georgia Medicare for All Board and four advisory committees to design benefits, set provider payment rates, and manage a new Georgia Medicare for All Trust Fund.
• Bars law enforcement from using program money, data, or property to investigate immigration status or other civil, criminal, or administrative violations.
• Repeals Georgia's 'Woman's Right to Know Act' and physician abortion-obligation law, replacing them with a Reproductive Freedom Act guaranteeing abortion and contraception rights.
• Repeals the 2023 law banning gender-affirming surgery and hormone therapy for minors and the 2014 law prohibiting Medicaid expansion without legislative approval.
• Reverses several provisions of the 2019 'heartbeat' law affecting tax dependents, wrongful death claims, and fetal personhood language in state law.

All Georgia residents, since the health plan would cover every resident regardless of immigration status; healthcare providers, hospitals, and insurers, who would face new payment rules and restrictions on offering duplicate coverage; state employees and retirees; people seeking abortion, contraception, or gender-affirming care; and law enforcement agencies barred from using program resources for certain investigations.

If funded, Georgians would no longer need private health insurance for covered services and would not pay premiums or copays, changing how healthcare is paid for statewide. The bill would also restore abortion access and gender-affirming care for minors that current Georgia law restricts, and remove the state's Medicaid expansion ban.

• Code Section 49-4-207 requires the board to fully implement the Georgia Medicare for All Program by July 1, 2029, but only once specific state funding is appropriated (Section 6-1).
• Code Section 49-4-211 automatically enrolls every Georgia resident and prohibits charging members any premium, copay, coinsurance, or deductible for covered benefits.
• Code Section 49-4-212 lists covered benefits including dental, vision, mental health, substance abuse treatment, prescription drugs, reproductive healthcare, and gender-affirming care.
• Code Section 49-4-210 bars law enforcement from using program resources to investigate immigration-related or other violations.
• Part III repeals Title 31's 'Woman's Right to Know Act' and physician abortion-obligation chapter, replacing them with a new Reproductive Freedom Act (O.C.G.A. § 31-9A-1 et seq.) establishing a right to abortion and contraception.
• Section 4-2 revises O.C.G.A. § 42-5-2 and Sections 4-3 and 4-4 repeal the 2023 law and O.C.G.A. § 43-34-15 banning gender-affirming surgery and hormone therapy for minors.
• Section 4-5 repeals O.C.G.A. § 49-4-142.2, the 2014 law barring Medicaid expansion without legislative approval.
• Section 6-1 makes the Medicare for All program contingent on a specific budget appropriation, while the other parts take effect upon the Governor's signature.

1. 2026-03-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-26House Hopper (House)

• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)Primary sponsor
• Ruwa Romman (D, HD-097)
• Park Cannon (D, HD-058)
• Angela Moore (D, HD-091)
• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)
• Sandra Scott (D, HD-076)

• single-payer healthcare
• Medicaid expansion
• abortion rights
• gender-affirming care
• health insurance reform