ATLANTA () — Recent findings reveal that Georgia is home to 30 Critical Access Hospitals along with three Rural Emergency Hospitals. This means that residents in rural regions often endure lengthy journeys to receive immediate medical attention.

Experts in the healthcare sector are now cautioning that the situation could deteriorate further, reducing accessibility even more.

As the 2026 legislative session approaches in Georgia, there is a growing call from advocates urging lawmakers to make rural healthcare a top priority.

In a state with a population nearing 11 million, approximately 16 percent reside in rural areas, many of whom depend on hospitals that are financially under pressure.

Whitney Griggs, who serves as the Director of Health Policy at Georgians for a Healthy Future, emphasizes that the current healthcare infrastructure is already at its breaking point.

“Rural health care in this state is just struggling in general from a lack of investment. Rural hospitals are really going to feel the pain of a sudden loss of private insurance payments if folks drop their coverage,” Griggs said.

At the end of this year, enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act are set to expire. Policy experts say losing these subsidies could disproportionately affect rural and low-income Georgians.

“When you already have this very fragile system, any shift is going to cause a pretty significant impact,” Griggs warned. “The coverage losses we’re predicting could be the difference between a hospital staying open and a hospital closing.”

A recent American Hospital Association report estimates rural hospitals in Georgia could lose $540 million over the next decade due to federal Medicaid cuts.

Political analyst Bill Crane said two things determine whether hospitals survive.

“One is investment, public or private. The other is more patients. If Medicaid funding is cut or people are priced out of insurance, fewer patients will be able to use community hospitals,” Crane said.

Last week, the Georgia Department of Public Health requested nearly $1.5 billion over five years from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to support rural facilities.

The funding would assist with the following:

• Strengthen emergency preparedness
• Improve newborn screenings
• Expand brain-injury support services
• Increase nutrition services for children with autism and pregnant women

Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones says the state has allocated $22 million to stabilize rural hospitals, $20 million for expanded rural health care programs to attract doctors and nurses and $7 million for graduate medical education.