¶ Overview
In 2026, Rick Jackson said he opposed Medicaid expansion and supported work requirements for public assistance programs. Jackson also celebrated benefitting from Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill's” tax cuts, claiming the tax cuts prevented him from “paying 40% more in taxes right now.” He also said he did not disagree with a “single White House policy.” Jackson aligned himself with Trump’s extreme policies even though 17 million Americans, including nearly 12 million Americans who rely on Medicaid, were at risk of losing their health insurance under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” More than 624,000 Georgians, including more than 93,400 Medicaid recipients, were expected to lose their health insurance coverage by 2034 due to Trump’s tax bill.
In 2013, Rick Jackson’s healthcare company sponsored a survey that claimed 59 percent of doctors opposed the Affordable Care Act, and Jackson said, “the more physicians learn about the ACA, the more they dislike it and want to start over.” In 2009, Jackson criticized Obama’s efforts to pass the Affordable Care Act, saying the reforms were intended “to reduce government spending,” not reward “quality and efficiency.” In 2025, more than 1.5 million Georgians were enrolled in Affordable Care Act Marketplace health insurance plans.
¶ Rick Jackson Opposed Medicaid Expansion, Said He Agreed With All Of Trump’s Policies, And Celebrated Benefitting From Trump's Tax Cuts As Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Threatened The Health Care Coverage Of More Than 624,000 Georgians
¶ Rick Jackson Opposed Medicaid Expansion And Supported Work Requirements For Public Assistance Programs
¶ Rick Jackson Opposed Medicaid Expansion And Favored A “States Solution” To Eliminate “Middlemen Costs”
2026: Rick Jackson Said He Opposed Medicaid Expansion, Saying “The Feds Aren’t Going To Solve This,” And Said He Would Establish A “States Solution” That Would Eliminate “Middlemen Costs” And “Be A Model For The Nation.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Health care is where Jackson claims his greatest advantage — and where he makes his boldest promise. He opposes Medicaid expansion and instead backs what he calls a ‘state solution’ that squeezes out middlemen costs. ‘I am telling you, the feds aren’t going to solve this. I’m going to solve it in Georgia. And it’s going to be a model for the nation,’ he said. ‘If we don’t have the most affordable health care plan in the United States, I will quit. I am that confident.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/18/26]
¶ Rick Jackson Said Public Assistance Programs Without Work Requirements Were “Trapping People In Dependency”
2026: Rick Jackson Supported Work Requirements For Public Assistance Programs, Saying, “The Real Cruelty Is Trapping People In Dependency And Calling It Compassion.” According to Jackson’s Twitter, “The radical left and their allies in the media call it cruel to have work requirements for public assistance. They’re dead wrong. The real cruelty is trapping people in dependency and calling it compassion.”
[Twitter, @RickJacksonGA, 2/15/26]
¶ Rick Jackson Celebrated Benefitting From The “One Big Beautiful Bill's” Tax Cuts And Said He “Couldn’t Name A Single White House Policy He Disagrees With” Despite Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Cutting Health Care To Fund Tax Cuts For The Wealthy
¶ Rick Jackson Touted How Trump's Tax Cuts In The One Big Beautiful Bill’s Tax Cuts Prevented Him From “Paying 40% More In Taxes Right Now”
March 6, 2026: During A Meet-And-Greet In Thomasville, Rick Jackson “Celebrated How Tariffs And Tax Cuts Are Growing His Wealth,” Claiming That Without The One Big Beautiful Bill’s Tax Cuts, He Would Be “Paying 40% More In Taxes Right Now.” According to the American Journal-News, “Rick Jackson, a Republican candidate for Georgia governor, celebrated how tariffs and tax cuts are growing his wealth, even as those same policies push working people into poverty. Jackson is the billionaire founder and CEO of Jackson Healthcare, a medical staffing company based in Alpharetta. He launched his campaign last month. He made the remarks during a March 6 meet-and-greet in Thomasville when a voter asked for his opinion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), a GOP-backed law that will cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, primarily to fund tax breaks for wealthy people and big corporations. ‘We extended the tax deductions, which are good,’ Jackson said. ‘If [Trump] hadn’t passed it—I’ll be honest with you—I’d be paying 40% more in taxes right now. I’d rather that money go to nonprofits than the federal government, so I like that part.’” [American Journal-News, 3/20/26]
¶ Rick Jackson Said He “Couldn’t Name A Single White House Policy He Disagrees With”
February 2026: Rick Jackson Said He “Couldn’t Name A Single White House Policy He Disagrees With.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “And Jackson, who even modeled his campaign launch after the president with a celebratory elevator descent, said he couldn’t name a single White House policy he disagrees with.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/18/26]
¶ July 2025: Trump Signed The Final Version Of The “One Big Beautiful Bill” Into Law, Which Would Cause 17 Million Americans To Lose Their Health Care
July 2025: Trump Signed The Senate FY 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill, The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Into Law, Which Extended $4 Trillion In Expiring Tax Cuts, Added New Tax Breaks, Appropriated $448 Billion In Defense, Border, And Immigration Enforcement Funding, Increased The SALT Deduction To $40,000, And Cut Medicaid And Other Social Programs To Offset The Costs. In July 2025, Trump signed into law, according to Congressional Quarterly, the “motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill that would permanently extend nearly $4 trillion in expiring individual and business tax cuts, create several new tax breaks and fund border and immigration enforcement and air traffic control upgrades. It would cut Medicaid and other safety net programs to partly offset the cost. Among other provisions, it would raise the statutory debt ceiling by $5 trillion and appropriate more than $448 billion in mandatory funding for Trump administration priorities and other needs, including $153 billion for defense, $89 billion for immigration enforcement, and $89.5 billion for border control and security. It also would increase the state and local tax deduction cap to $40,000 annually for five years for households making up to $500,000 a year until 2030, when it would permanently revert to $10,000.” [Congressional Quarterly, 7/3/25; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
- HEADLINE: "At Least 17 Million Americans Would Lose Insurance Under Trump Plan" [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- HEADLINE: “By The Numbers: Harmful Republican Megabill Favors The Wealthy And Leaves Millions Of Working Families Behind” [Center On Budget And Policy Priorities, 8/1/25]
- HEADLINE: "House Republican Budget Takes Away Health Care, Food Aid To Pay For Expanded Tax Cuts For Wealthy" [Center On Budget And Policy Priorities, 2/21/25]
- The Congressional Budget Office Estimated That 11.8 Million People Would Become Uninsured As A Result Of The Medicaid Cuts In Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill. According to the Washington Post, "The bill, which narrowly passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads back to the House, would effectively accomplish what Republicans have long failed to do: unwind many of the key components of the ACA, President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement, which dramatically increased the number of Americans with access to health insurance. To start, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate version of the bill would result in 11.8 million more uninsured in 2034, mostly because of Medicaid cuts, compared with 10.9 million if the House version became law." [Washington Post, 7/1/25]
- The Bill’s $50 Billion In Rural Hospital Relief Funding Would Not Come Close To The Gap Created By Medicaid Cuts, With 300 Rural Hospitals At “Immediate Risk” Of Closure. According to the Center For American Progress, “The OBBBA includes $50 billion in relief funding for rural hospitals over a five-year period to help reduce the disastrous impacts of the bill’s roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts. As of May 2025, there were approximately 2,086 rural hospitals receiving $12.2 billion a year in net revenue from Medicaid. At the median, rural hospitals’ revenue from Medicaid is $3.9 million a year.Rural hospitals have some of the lowest operating margins in the nation, especially compared with urban hospitals, meaning that any reductions in revenue could lead to closures. The average operating margin for rural hospitals was 3.1 percent in 2023, with 44 percent of rural hospitals operating with negative margins. As a result, more than 300 rural hospitals are currently at ‘immediate risk’ of closure, especially now that the OBBBA is projected to cut Medicaid spending by $1.02 trillion. The relief fund designed to blunt the negative impacts caused by the bill would not come close to filling that gap. If every rural hospital in the country received an even share of the $50 billion in relief support, it would amount to only $4.5 million every year for five years. At the close of those five years, that funding would disappear altogether.” [Center For American Progress, 7/3/25]
¶ ACA And Medicaid Cuts Under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Threatened Health Care Access For More Than 624,000 Georgians
¶ More Than 624,000 Georgians Were Expected To Lose Health Care Coverage Due To ACA And Medicaid Cuts Under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”
Under The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” 624,029 Georgians Were Expected To Lose Their Health Care By 2034, Including 530,600 ACA Enrollees And 93,429 Medicaid Recipients. According to the Joint Economic Committee Minority,
| District | State |
Est. # Losing ACA Coverage |
Est. # Losing Medicaid Coverage |
Est. Total # Losing Insurance |
|
GA-01 |
Georgia |
33,000 |
7,364 |
40,364 |
|
GA-02 |
Georgia |
38,300 |
9,245 |
47,545 |
|
GA-03 |
Georgia |
31,400 |
5,947 |
37,347 |
|
GA-04 |
Georgia |
44,500 |
6,726 |
51,226 |
|
GA-05 |
Georgia |
41,200 |
5,928 |
47,128 |
|
GA-06 |
Georgia |
31,000 |
2,617 |
33,617 |
|
GA-07 |
Georgia |
62,000 |
6,807 |
68,807 |
|
GA-08 |
Georgia |
33,400 |
8,318 |
41,718 |
|
GA-09 |
Georgia |
40,800 |
6,639 |
47,439 |
|
GA-10 |
Georgia |
31,400 |
6,337 |
37,737 |
|
GA-11 |
Georgia |
33,900 |
4,462 |
38,362 |
|
GA-12 |
Georgia |
32,600 |
8,326 |
40,926 |
|
GA-13 |
Georgia |
45,300 |
7,370 |
52,670 |
|
GA-14 |
Georgia |
31,800 |
7,343 |
39,143 |
|
All |
Totals |
530,600 |
93,429 |
624,029 |
[Joint Economic Committee Minority, 6/25]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Was Estimated To Increase The Uninsured Population By 8.6 Million By 2034. According to CNN, “The Medicaid and Affordable Care Act provisions in the package could result in 8.6 million more people being uninsured in 2034, according to an early CBO estimate released by Democratic lawmakers. That number is expected to grow with the latest changes.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
- The House GOP Budget Bill Codified A Trump Administration Proposal That Restricted Access To The Affordable Care Act. According to CNN, “The bill also calls for codifying a Trump administration proposal that would make changes to the Affordable Care Act enrollment process, including shortening the open enrollment period and eliminating the ability of low-income Americans to sign up year-round.” [CNN, 5/28/25]
- New York Times Reported The $880 Billion In Cuts Required By The Republican Budget Proposal Would Have To Come From Medicaid, Medicare, Or CHIP. According to the New York Times, "The budget resolution itself is silent on whether Congress cuts Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 72 million poor and disabled Americans. But it instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the program, to cut spending by $880 billion over the next decade. If the committee can’t save at least that much, the entire effort could be imperiled because of the special process Congress is using to avoid a Senate filibuster. Ten other committees have their own instructions to follow, though none have been assigned with cutting nearly as much. It’s not so simple as finding the cuts elsewhere. The special process, known as budget reconciliation, means Republicans will have to find all $880 billion from within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction. That leaves them with fewer options than one might think. […] If Republicans want to avoid major cuts to Medicaid, the largest pot of available money is in the other big government health insurance program: Medicare. […] Even if the committee cuts everything that’s not health care to $0, it will still be more than $600 billion short. The committee could also save around $200 billion by eliminating the Children’s Health Insurance Program, but that option has not been raised by the budget committee or anyone in House leadership. […] Even if all of these cuts, revenues and rule cancellations from outside health care can pass muster, the committee will still be left with hundreds of billions of dollars to cut to hit its goal. Mathematically, the budget committee’s instructions mean the committee would need to make major cuts to either Medicare, Medicaid or both." [New York Times, 2/25/25]
¶ The “One Big Beautiful Bill” And The Expiring Affordable Care Act Tax Credits Would Result In 499,000 Uninsured Georgians By 2034
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” And The Expiring Affordable Care Act Tax Credits Would Result In An Additional 499,000 Uninsured Georgians By 2034. According to the Center For American Progress, “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will increase the number of Americans without health coverage in every state Estimated increase in the uninsured population due to the OBBBA and the expiration of the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits, 2034”
[Center For American Progress, 9/5/25]
¶ Rick Jackson Claimed Physicians Opposed The Affordable Care Act In 2013, But 1.5 Million Georgians Relied On ACA Plans For Health Care In 2025
¶ 2013: A Jackson Healthcare-Sponsored Survey Claimed 59 Percent Of Physicians Opposed The Affordable Care Act
¶ Rick Jackson Claimed “The More Physicians Learn About The ACA, The More They Dislike It”
2013: Jackson Healthcare Subsidiary Jackson & Coker Conducted A Survey That Claimed 59 Percent Of Physicians Opposed The Affordable Care Act, And 61 Percent Had A Worse Opinion Of The ACA Now Than They Did In 2010. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, “Of the 3,072 practicing physicians in all 50 states who completed the survey, conducted Nov. 8-12, 59 percent said they opposed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) at the time Congress was debating and adopting the legislation, while only 26 percent supported the measure. Amid the current wave of negative publicity surrounding the rocky rollout of the program, 61 percent of the physicians said they have a worse opinion of Obamacare now than they did back in 2010, while just 31 percent have not changed their opinion and only 8 percent said they have a better opinion of the law. ‘The more physicians learn about the ACA, the more they dislike it and want to start over,’ said Richard Jackson, chairman and CEO of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Jackson Healthcare LLC, the nation's third-largest health-care staffing company. Jackson & Coker, a subsidiary of Jackson Healthcare, conducted the survey.” [Atlanta Business Chronicle, 11/19/13]
- Jackson Claimed “The More Physicians Learn About The ACA, The More They Dislike It And Want To Start Over.” According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, “‘The more physicians learn about the ACA, the more they dislike it and want to start over,’ said Richard Jackson, chairman and CEO of Alpharetta, Ga.-based Jackson Healthcare LLC, the nation's third-largest health-care staffing company.” [Atlanta Business Chronicle, 11/19/13]
¶ 2009: Jackson Said Obama’s Health Care Reforms That Led To The Affordable Care Act Were Intended “To Reduce Government Spending,” Not Reward “Quality And Efficiency”
¶ October 2009: Jackson Criticized Health Care Reform Under The Obama Administration
October 2009: Jackson Said Health Care Reform Under The Obama Administration Was Intended “To Reduce Government Spending,” And Had “Nothing To Do With Incentivizing An Integrated System That Rewards Quality And Efficiency, While Penalizing Waste.” According to TendersInfo, “The following is an update on Jackson's beliefs regarding the current reform efforts. Has the current debate on healthcare reform changed any part of your original proposal? It has reinforced my belief that a wedge has been driven between physicians and their patients. This wedge, consisting of those entities which control the transactions between patients and physicians, is the root cause of our current inefficiencies and cost inflation. The real motive behind healthcare reform is to reduce government spending on healthcare. It has nothing to do with incentivizing an integrated system that rewards quality and efficiency, while penalizing waste. The proposed solutions for reforming America's inefficient healthcare system treat symptoms, not the root problem.” [TendersInfo, 10/16/09]
¶ September 2009: Obama’s Health Care Reform Measures Led To The Affordable Care Act Passing In March 2010
September 2009: Obama Outlined His Health Care Reform Measures In A Joint Session Of Congress, Eventually Leading To The Passage Of The Affordable Care Act In March 2010. According to The Policy Circle, “In September 2009, then President Obama held a joint session of Congress to outline his healthcare reform measures. By November, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed its healthcare bill by a slim margin (220-215), along mostly partisan lines. […] In March 2010, the House agreed to pass the Senate version ‘as-is’ to avoid sending the bill back for Senate approval. It passed without one Republican vote. The Senate used a ‘reconciliation procedure,’ a measure not designed for major policy bills that only requires 51 votes to pass. The House then immediately passed an amendment that made changes to the Senate version, called the Reconciliation Act of 2010, which passed the Senate immediately after. President Obama signed the Act on March 23, and the amendment on March 30.” [The Policy Circle, 6/3/19]
¶ 2025: There Were 1,510,852 Georgians Enrolled In An Affordable Care Act Marketplace Plan
2025: There Were 1,510,852 Individuals Enrolled In An Affordable Care Act Marketplace Plan In Georgia. According to KFF, in 2025, there were 1,510,852 individuals enrolled in affordable care act marketplace plan in Georgia.
[KFF, Accessed 3/6/26]
¶ 2026: Jackson Opposed Medicaid Expansion Because “The Feds Aren’t Going To Solve This”
2026: Rick Jackson Said He Opposed Medicaid Expansion, Saying “The Feds Aren’t Going To Solve This,” And Said He Would Establish A “States Solution” That Would Eliminate “Middlemen Costs” And “Be A Model For The Nation.” According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Health care is where Jackson claims his greatest advantage — and where he makes his boldest promise. He opposes Medicaid expansion and instead backs what he calls a ‘state solution’ that squeezes out middlemen costs. ‘I am telling you, the feds aren’t going to solve this. I’m going to solve it in Georgia. And it’s going to be a model for the nation,’ he said. ‘If we don’t have the most affordable health care plan in the United States, I will quit. I am that confident.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/18/26]
¶ The Affordable Care Act Allowed States To Expand Medicaid, Which Dramatically Lowered The Uninsured Rate Among Low-Income Workers
The Affordable Care Act Allowed States To Expand Medicaid, And States That Expanded Medicaid Dramatically Lowered The Number Of People Without Health Insurance. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "The Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits states to expand Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level (about $20,780 annually for an individual or $35,630 for a family of three). States that have adopted the expansion have dramatically lowered their uninsured rates. Extensive research finds that the people who gained coverage have grown healthier and more financially secure, while long-standing racial inequities in health outcomes, coverage, and access to care have shrunk." [Center On Budget And Policy Priorities, 6/14/24]
- The Uninsured Rate Among Low-Income Workers Fell From 38 Percent In 2013 To 17 Percent In 2022, Which Coincided With Implementation Of Medicaid Expansion. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "Millions of workers have gained coverage through Medicaid expansion, including people working in industries that provide critical goods and services such as health care, transportation, grocery stores, food manufacturers, and child care. Many have no access to health coverage through their jobs. In expansion states, the uninsured rate among low-income workers fell from 38 percent in 2013 to 17 percent in 2022; this sharp decline coincided with a large increase in the share of low-income workers enrolled in Medicaid.[16] In non-expansion states, the uninsured rate among low-income workers fell much less, from 46 percent to 31 percent. (See Figure 3.)" [Center On Budget And Policy Priorities, 6/14/24]