Georgians could see “some of the biggest price increases in the nation.”

New reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reveals that GOP U.S. Senate candidates Rep. Buddy Carter and Rep. Mike Collins dodged questions about extending crucial subsidies for Georgians who get their affordable health insurance on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, including “low-income families,” and “those owning or working at small businesses.”

The subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, which could stick Georgians buying policies on the ACA Marketplace facing “some of the biggest price increases in the nation.“

When asked about the pending price hikes, both Carter and Collins brushed off the concerns or outright ignored them. 

From the AJC: 

• “Some Republicans say they do not want the federal government to continue to offset the cost of coverage purchased on the exchanges tied to the Affordable Care Act […] 
  
• “U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who until recently was the chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees health policy, is running for the Republican nomination to challenge Ossoff next year. He said he has priorities other than extending the subsidies.
  
• “[…] A spokesman for another Republican campaigning for the seat, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, said the focus should be on what his party did accomplish in the bill Trump signed on July 4.”

In addition to Carter and Collins, failed and fired former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley stands by Trump’s budget law that fails to extend the subsidies for working families. 

“Georgia’s working families are facing the very real possibility of trying to afford skyrocketing insurance premiums, or losing their health care coverage, and Republicans running for Senate have no solutions or answers for them,” said Democratic Party of Georgia Senior Communications Advisor Devon Cruz. “Georgians deserve a U.S. Senator who will fight to protect and expand access to affordable health insurance, not one who is ready and eager to rip it away.”