Carter voted for a bill that allowed the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies to expire. Carter previously mocked the subsidies and opposed their extension. An estimated 460,000 Georgians could lose their health insurance as a result of Carter’s vote and Georgians expected their health care premiums to more than double.
Carter authored the GOP’s massive medicaid cuts under the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and was disappointed he couldn’t “cut Medicaid more.” He demanded work requirements on Medicaid enrollees and his vote threatened Georgia’s rural hospitals with funding cuts.
[VIDEO] Carter Declared That “We've Got To Stop The Subsidies” And “Get This Spending Under Control.” “But at the same time, we've got to stop the subsidies. We've got to get this spending under control. This was never meant to be permanent. It was only to get us through the pandemic. And if the Democrats had wanted it to be permanent, they could have made it.” [FBN: Mornings With Maria B., 9/23/25]
[VIDEO] Carter Claimed That “Democrats Have Ruined Health Care In America With The Unaffordable Care Act” And Decried The Expiring Health Care Subsidies As Failed Policy. “We will, because this is the Unaffordable Care Act. I mean, Obamacare, the Democrats realized early on that it was unaffordable, and they started subsidizing it. And then when the COVID, when the pandemic started, we got the Biden COVID bonuses that they set to expire at the end of the pandemic. Now they want to extend them. This is not going to work. I think the Democrats have ruined health care in America with the Unaffordable Care Act.” [FNC: Fox News Live, 11/2/25]
Carter Said The Subsides Were “Handouts To Big Insurance Companies” And Claimed That “We Should Be Empowering Patients With Affordable Health Care Options That Work Best For Them, Not The Government.” According to the Savannah Morning News, “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to announce a ‘clean’ three-year extension of the tax credits on Thursday. The proposal needs 60 votes to advance to a final simple-majority vote in the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 of the chamber's 100 seats. The extension faces scrutiny from Republican lawmakers, including Georgia's District 1 Representative Buddy Carter. ‘Democrats broke health care when they passed Obamacare,’ Carter said in an emailed statement to the Savannah Morning News. ‘It made health care more expensive, so they had to subsidize it.’ Carter entered the 2026 Senate race in May, joining other Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. ‘Instead of giving handouts to big insurance companies, which is what Jon Ossoff wants to continue to do, we should be empowering patients with affordable health care options that work best for them, not the government,’ Carter stated.” [Savannah Morning News, 12/10/25]
Carter Thought Trump’s Proposal Was “Was A Great Move On His Part” And “A Great Idea”; Carter Claimed That “Any Time You Have To Subsidize A Federal Program, That Means It's Not Working. And The Un-Affordable Care Act Is Not Working.” According to Newsmax, “Meanwhile, President Donald Trump helped force a resolution when he floated sending Obamacare subsidies directly to taxpayers rather than insurance companies. ‘This was a great move on his part,’ he said. ‘I was a small businessman. I had 25 employees, and I … always provided insurance for them.’ Still, Carter said he eventually provided his employees with a stipend, so they could get their own insurance on the competitive market, ‘and that's what the president is proposing here.’ ‘I love it,’ he added. ‘I think it's a great idea … we have the Affordable Care Act that's having to be subsidized, and remember, any time you have to subsidize a federal program, that means it's not working. And the Un-Affordable Care Act is not working.’” [Newsmax, 11/11/25]
Carter Celebrated The Legislation And Claimed That “Republicans Began The Hard Work Of Undoing More Than A Decade Of Harm To Patients Nationwide”; He Promised Americans “Access To The High-Quality Health Care They Deserve At A Rate They Can Afford” Under The GOP’s New Framework” According to a press release from Representative Buddy Carter, “Carter (R-GA) today released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, a bill lowering health care costs and providing American citizens with more affordable coverage: [...] ‘With this vote, House Republicans began the hard work of undoing more than a decade of harm to patients nationwide. By driving down health insurance premiums, increasing pharmacy benefit manager transparency, and expanding affordable health care options, we are ensuring that American citizens have access to the high-quality health care they deserve at a rate they can afford.’” [Press Release – Representative Buddy Carter, 12/17/25]
Carter Mocked “Liberal Politicians Like Jon Ossoff” Who Wanted “To Continue Giving Handouts To Big Insurance And Illegal Immigrants, Making Your Health Outcomes Worse, Instead Of Addressing The Heart Of The Problem, Which Is That The UnAffordable Care Act Isn’t Working.” According to a press release from Representative Buddy Carter, “Carter (R-GA) today released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 6703, the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, a bill lowering health care costs and providing American citizens with more affordable coverage: ‘Liberal politicians like Jon Ossoff want to continue giving handouts to Big Insurance and illegal immigrants, making your health outcomes worse, instead of addressing the heart of the problem, which is that the UnAffordable Care Act isn’t working. Democrats spent years dismantling our health care system and causing an affordability crisis.’” [Press Release – Representative Buddy Carter, 12/17/25]
The Georgia Health Initiative Found That Without Enhanced Subsidies Premiums In Georgia Will More Than Double, From An Average Of $69 Per Month To $148 Per Month. According to Rough Draft Atlanta, “At issue are tax credits that lowered the cost of ACA plans that are set to expire Dec. 31. The credits were enacted as part of a Covid relief package in 2021. Unless Congress takes action to extend the credits, premiums for Georgians will, on average, more than double, a recent Georgia Health Initiative analysis found. [...] The exact amount of the rate increases will vary based on several factors, but on average, premiums in Georgia will more than double, from an average of $69 per month this year to $148 per month in 2026, according to the GHI report.” [Rough Draft Atlanta, 12/12/25]
[HEADLINE]: “Georgia Loses 190,000 Enrollees In First Steps Of 2026 ACA Enrollment.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/18/25]
460,000 Georgians Planned To Drop Their ACA Health Insurance Over Increased Costs Without The Enhanced Premium Subsidies. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “But the most recent estimate from the health research organization KFF is that about 460,000 Georgians will drop ACA health insurance. That’s a result of two things: new barriers passed in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, such as shortening the enrollment window, curtailing auto-enrollment, and adding paperwork and fees; and by far the biggest part of the projected loss, the expiration of the enhanced subsidies.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/29/25]
Georgia’s Hospitals, Doctors, And Other Health Businesses Expected To Lose $3.7 Billion In Revenue After Georgians Forego Health Care Without The Enhanced Premium Subsidies. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Georgia’s hospitals, doctors and other health businesses stand to lose $3.7 billion in revenue next year alone, if Congress and President Donald Trump allow Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies to expire in December, a new forecast has found. [...] Without insurance, many of those people will skip doctor visits, medications, tests and other health care that they would otherwise have received. And other patients, especially in emergencies, will seek health care but not be able to pay for it.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/29/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Declared That He “Was Not In Favor Of Medicaid Expansion” And “Was Not In Favor Of Obamacare, The Affordable Care Act.” “We need to stop it. Absolutely. We need to stop it. And as you know, I serve as as chair of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Commerce, and we have jurisdiction over Medicaid, Medicare. Right now. We are looking at Medicaid. And I will tell you, we've got to do something with Medicaid, because first of all, personally, I believe it should have never been expanded. I was not in favor of Medicaid expansion. I was not in favor of Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act. However, we got to make sure that the most vulnerable in our population are taken care of. We all understand that. We all agree with that. We need to make sure that we save, we sustain, we stabilize the traditional Medicaid program. And unless we do something to stop this spending, because right now we're writing blank checks to Medicaid. And unless we do something that puts some downward pressure on the states to make sure that they're responsible with this program, we're never going to get this under control.” [Salcedo Storm Podcast, 5/20/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Thought Medicaid Was “Out Of Control” And Wanted To Find “Ways That We Can Make It More Efficient Without Cutting People Out.” “I'm serving as chair of the Health subcommittee. And, you know, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicaid is you know, it's really gotten out of control. I would say I was opposed to the expansion of Medicaid and still am. And, you know, when Medicaid started, it's a safety net program. It's for the age and the disabled is not it was never intended to be for the average person. And and and that's something we've got to look at. There are ways that we can that we can make it more efficient without cutting people out.” [2 Mikes Live, 1/22/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Wanted The GOP To “Reform Medicaid And Medicare” And Suggested That The House GOP “Dust Off” Paul Ryan’s Health Care Plan. “Medicaid, Medicare, we need to address that, and we will address that. And we are currently working on that. In the Budget Committee I serve on we've got a Medicare Reform committee. That subcommittee that I'm serving on that is led by Mike Burgess from from Texas. And we are looking at how we can reform Medicaid and Medicare. Don't forget that it was only a few years ago that under Paul Ryan, we had the the American health care plan. And in that, although it didn't pass because of one vote in the Senate, that was that would have been reform. And, you know, we need to get plans like that back out and dust them off and look at them. There are some good parts to that. And that's what we're trying to do in the Budget Committee.” [Politically Georgia, 12/6/24]
[VIDEO] Carter Wanted To “Reform Medicare” During Trump’s Presidency In Pursuit Of “Deficit Reduction.” “Perhaps we do it in another reconciliation package by itself and just say we're going to reform Medicare. We're going to reform Medicare. For deficit reduction for that reason. But we don't necessarily want to do it for extending tax cuts because we've got midterm elections coming up. And the president is well aware of that. And look, we've got him for three and a half more years.” [John Fredericks Show, 5/21/25]
Carter Supported Medicare Reform To Reduce The National Debt. According to the Brunswick News, “Another priority is to find ways to reduce the federal government’s $36 trillion debt, which continues to grow every day, he said. ‘The greatest threat is the national debt,’ he said. ‘We’re spending money faster than the speed of light.’ While he’s not suggesting cuts to Social Security, Carter said something has to be done to ensure it’s there for the future. There are also plans to change Medicare without cutting benefits, he said.” [Brunswick News, 12/14/24]
[AUDIO] Carter: “If We Don't Get This Non-Discretionary Spending Under Control, That Is Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, If We Don't Get That In And Control, All The DOGE In The World Is Not Going To Do Any Good.” “We all know we do not have a revenue problem in this country. We have a spending problem in this country. We got plenty of revenue, but we are spending too much. And look for all the good that DOGE has done, and they have done a lot of good, and Elon Musk and his team have identified a lot of waste, fraud and abuse. That has been jaw dropping to us. However, if we don't get this non-discretionary spending under control, that is Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, if we don't get that in and control, all the DOGE in the world is not going to do any good. We have got to get this nondiscretionary where we really don't have control over it. We've got to get it under control.” [Salcedo Storm Podcast, 5/20/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Said The GOP Has “Got To” Reform Social Security, Medicaid, And Medicare; He Was Frustrated With Health Care Spending Levels And Demanded That The GOP “Address Those Three Things.” “HOST: You can't spend your way out of debt. CARTER: No, you can't. And in you're absolutely right. I think that most Georgians and most most Americans are very concerned about this and don't think we can get it under control. Here's the problem. It's the non-discretionary spending. HOST: 100% CARTER: We don’t really have control over. Well, I'm talking about Social Security. I'm talking about Medicaid and Medicare. HOST: 100% CARTER: 70% of our budget right there. And we can't even touch it. And we've got to. You could cut out all the discretionary spending that we have, including defense, and you still wouldn't be able to balance the budget unless you address those three things.” [Morning Xtra, 3/28/25]
Carter Called The Drug Pricing Provisions “The Worst Legislation I've Ever Witnessed In 10 Years In Congress And 10 Years In The State Legislature” And Declared That He “Absolutely” Wants To Repeal Them. According to Axios, “The big picture: The tension surfaced this week when multiple high-ranking Republicans told Axios they want to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act's Medicare drug price negotiations next year if they prevail in the elections. The law requires the next president to negotiate prices for some drugs, after the first round of talks yielded agreements to lower the list prices of 10 widely used drugs this year. Trump has pledged to ‘take on Big Pharma’ through administrative actions like tying what Medicare pays to prices in other developed nations. But he could still be open to repealing the IRA drug price measures, and his campaign isn't elaborating. [...] Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) said the IRA drug pricing provisions are ‘the worst legislation I've ever witnessed in 10 years in Congress and 10 years in the state legislature’ and he ‘absolutely’ wants to repeal them. Asked about Trump's criticism of pharma, Carter said ‘that's OK, pharma needs to be criticized,’ but it should not be done in a way that is ‘destroying research and development.’” [Axios, 9/17/24]
Carter Was “Proud To Be A Leader In Crafting This Legislation And Shepherding It Through The Energy And Commerce Committee” And Declared That “Republicans Have A Mandate To Deliver On President Trump’s America First Agenda, And That’s Exactly What This Bill Does.” According to a press release from Representative Buddy Carter, “Carter (R-GA) today released the following statement after the House of Representatives sent the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to President Trump’s desk: ‘Americans will have more money in their pocketbooks because of President Trump’s bold leadership in putting forth the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which will soon be signed into law. I was proud to be a leader in crafting this legislation and shepherding it through the Energy and Commerce Committee. Not only are we preventing the largest tax hike in American history, something every single Democrat in both chambers voted against, but we are also eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, delivering tax relief for seniors, securing the southern border, unleashing American energy dominance, and ensuring illegal immigrants do not benefit from taxpayer-funded programs. Republicans have a mandate to deliver on President Trump’s America First agenda, and that’s exactly what this bill does. Promises made, promises kept.’” [Press Release – Representative Buddy Carter, 7/4/25]
[VIDEO] Carter Declared That He Was “Very Proud” Of His Subcommittee Identifying “Over $700 Billion In The Next Ten Years Of Savings In Medicaid, Of Waste, Fraud And Abuse Without Without Cutting Anyone Off Of The Program At All.” “But it is an honor and a privilege to serve in Congress, and particularly in the role that I serve in, and that is as chair of the Health Subcommittee of Energy and Commerce. And it's funny, you gotta be careful what you ask for. For ten years, I've been aspiring to hold this position and I finally get it. And they come up to me and say, Oh, by the way, we're going to be doing a reconciliation budget and we're going to look for savings, and most of it is going to come from your subcommittee. Thank you very much. But I am very proud that we were able in the bill that we are discussing right now while you're here, and that we hopefully will be voting on at the end of this week in the House, that we were able to identify over $700 billion in the next ten years of savings in Medicaid, of waste, fraud and abuse without without cutting anyone off of the program at all. The Medicaid program is essential. It is for the most vulnerable in our society. So, I was very proud of our committee for doing that. I actually the entire committee, achieved a savings of over $988 billion over the next ten years, More than half of what we were looking to do in the entire entire package. So, I'm very proud of our committee, very proud of our subcommittee for doing that.” [Improving Health While Managing Healthcare Spending: Enter Food is Medicine, 5/20/25]
[VIDEO] Carter Touted His Subcommittee’s Medicaid Cuts And Declared That He Was “Very Proud Of What We've Done In Medicaid.” “I'm very proud. I'm chair of the Help Subcommittee. I help craft this, very proud of what we've done in Medicaid. We've helped to stabilize it.” [NewsmaxTV: Wake Up America, 5/20/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Declared That “The People Who Truly Should Be On That Program Aren’t Going To Be Impacted At All” But Claimed There Were “Some People Who Should Be Off Of It.” “I truly believe that the people who truly should be on that program aren't going to be impacted at all. Now, there are, as I mentioned earlier, you got some people who are on Medicaid rolls in more than one state. You got some people who should be off of it. And when you got a waiting list of people who truly need to be on it, that's what we're trying to achieve here. We trying to make sure we save it, we sustain it, we stabilize it.” [Politically Georgia, 5/12/25]
[VIDEO] Carter Claimed The GOP’s Medicaid Cuts Were “Going To Get Rid Of The Illegals Who Are On Medicaid.” “We're going to get rid of the illegals who are on Medicaid. We're going to get rid of the duplicates that some people are in more than one state so that we can free up room and make room for those on the waiting list who truly need this most vital program.” [NewsmaxTV: Wake Up America, 5/20/25]
[VIDEO] Carter “Wanted To Cut Medicaid More” But His Subcommittee Colleagues Blocked His Efforts; He Told Them, “Sometimes You Just Got To Bite The Bullet And Go For It,” And Warned That The Deficit Was “Crushing Us.” “We need to we need to make more substantial cuts. I advocated to make more substantial cuts. I'm chair of the Health Subcommittee and Energy and Commerce, and I wanted to cut Medicaid more, but I couldn't I couldn't get my colleagues to agree on it. And, you know, some of them are in very vulnerable districts and swing districts, and they just said that never going to get re-elected if that happens. Well, you know, sometimes you just got to bite the bullet and go for it. And and unfortunately, they weren't willing to do it this time. And I get it. I understand I'm in a safe district, but at the same time, this deficit is killing this is crushing us.” [John Fredericks Show, 6/5/25]
Atlanta Journal Constitution: “Carter Played A Key Role In Crafting The Proposed Cuts To The Medicaid Program.” According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, “U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and Insurance Commissioner John King, who launched their challenges to Ossoff this month, have each embraced Trump’s bill. Carter played a key role in crafting the proposed cuts to the Medicaid program. ‘We need to make sure we save that program and we can do that,’ Carter told the ‘Politically Georgia‘ podcast, arguing that the changes would help ensure Medicaid’s long-term survival. ‘We can cut out waste, fraud and abuse. We can make sure that we have work requirements in that program.’” [Atlanta Journal Constitution, 5/29/25]
[VIDEO] Carter And The Committee Struggled With Trump’s Instructions To Avoid Cutting Entitlements; Their Plan Had Been To Capture “A Lot Of Our Savings” From Cuts To Medicaid. “But at the same time, we got to focus on making cuts and we are making cuts where we can, but we've been limited somewhat. You know, the president has said don't touch Medicare, don't touch Social Security. Now, he's recently come out and said don't touch Medicaid. Well, you know, a lot of our savings were going to come from Medicaid, to be quite honest with you, because and I think he'll be okay. He'll be okay if it’s waste, fraud and abuse and if it's the efficiency of the program.” [Outside The Beltway w/ John Fredricks, 2/4/25]
[VIDEO] Carter Claimed That Medicaid Was “Writing Blank Checks” And Declared That “We Need To Reform Medicaid, As The Freedom Caucus Has Suggested.” “The Freedom Caucus is right. Medicaid has got to be reformed. We are writing blank checks. We can't continue to do that. And then we understand that. But we we have to be very careful doing it in a reconciliation package that includes tax tax cuts and extending tax cuts. And the reason for that is the political aspect of it. You know, Democrats are hollering, oh, you're kicking people off of Medicaid to give billionaires tax breaks. And that's not true, but it fits on a bumper sticker. And, you know, it's just one of those things we have to deal with. Do we need to reform Medicaid, as the Freedom Caucus has suggested? Yes, we do.” [John Fredericks Show, 5/21/25]
500,000 Georgians Expected To Lose Their Health Care By 2034 Under The Big Beautiful Bill. According to KFF, “An Additional 14.2M People Nationwide Could be Uninsured in 2034 Due To The Budget Reconciliation Package and Expiration of the ACA Enhanced Tax Credits [...] About half (49%) of the 14.2 million more people who would be uninsured in this scenario live in California (1.7M), Florida (1.5M), Texas (1.4M), New York (860k), Illinois (520k), Georgia (500k) and Ohio (460k). The largest growth in ACA Marketplace enrollment since 2020, the year before the enhanced premium tax credits became available, occurred in 3 of these states: Texas (2.8M), Florida (2.8M), and Georgia (1.0M).” [KFF, 8/20/25]
Georgia Rural Hospitals Expected To Lose $540 Million In Funding Over The Next Ten Years Under The Big Beautiful Bill. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “President Donald Trump’s spending bill’s cuts to government-subsidized health insurance could send struggling rural Georgia hospitals into distress or bankruptcy, according to research released by its critics. A study commissioned by the American Hospital Association found that Georgia rural hospitals could lose $540 million over the 10 years of the bill’s run. Another by the Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina, based on the version of the bill that passed the House in May, listed hundreds of U.S. hospitals “at risk” of closing services or shutting down altogether in the face of Medicaid and other health cuts, including four in Georgia. The Senate is considering deeper cuts.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/20/25]
The Big Beautiful Bill Raised Georgia Electric Rates By $270 Over The Next Ten Years. According to CNBC, “Here’s how much more households in every state could pay annually, on average, by 2035, due to changes in energy policies under the ‘big beautiful’ bill, according to Energy Innovation’s research. [...] Georgia: $270” [CNBC, 7/14/25]
1.4 Million Georgians Received SNAP Benefits And It Was Estimated That “Hundreds Of Thousands of Georgians” Would Lose Their Nutrition Assistance Under The Big Beautiful Bill. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, “With 1.4 million Georgians receiving SNAP benefits, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Georgians will lose their primary way of buying food. The Atlanta Community Food Bank, which supplies hundreds of food pantries in the state, says that would harm a lot of families. [Fox 5 Atlanta, 7/3/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Claimed The GOP’s Medicaid Cuts Would Come “Through Work Requirements” And Bemoaned “Able Bodied” People On Medicaid. “You do it through work requirements. Look, you shouldn't have an able bodied person who could be doing some type of work. It even includes volunteer work that is on that program. That's not who it was intended for, and that's not who we should be using it for. So there are all kind of things that we can do to find savings without kicking anyone off.” [Politically Georgia, 5/12/25]
[AUDIO] Carter Declared That “First Of All, We Are Not Kicking Anyone Off Of Medicaid,” And Claimed The GOP Was Instead Going To “Make Sure That We Have Work Requirements In That Program.” “Well, first of all, we are not kicking anyone off of Medicaid. The Democrats are fear mongering. They're already running ads suggesting that. What we want to do is we want to say we want to stabilize, sustain. What I know from personal experience, having worked in this area, that is one of the most important programs in our government, and that is Medicaid for the most vulnerable in our society, the aged, the blind, disabled, for mothers, for children, all of that. And that's what it was intended for. Unfortunately, it’s evolved into something more than that. We didn't do the Medicaid expansion here in the state of Georgia, thank goodness. But we need to do, we need to make sure we save that program. And we can do that. We can cut out waste, fraud and abuse. We can make sure that we have work requirements in that program. There are things we can do.” [Politically Georgia, 5/12/25]
[AUDIO] Carter: “What We Want To Do Is We Want To Make Sure That Able Bodied Adults Who Are Choosing Not To Work, That They Don't Have Dependent Children Or Elderly Parents In Their Care, That They're Out Working Or Volunteering.” “Well, what we want to do is we want to make sure that able bodied adults who are choosing not to work, that they don't have dependent children or elderly parents in their care, that they're out working or volunteering. I would submit to you that we need to do more in Medicaid reform than what we're doing here, but this is a great start for us.” [Fox News Rundown, 5/13/25]
[VIDEO] Carter Claimed That One Of The Medicaid “Improvements” Was “Community Involvement”; He Bemoaned Democrats Who “Want To Call It Work Requirements. It’s Not Work Requirements. It’s Community Involvement.” “There are improvements that are going to support the family. And and certainly, you know, these are examples of how we can improve the family. But but there are other examples as well. We put we put a number of things in this bill. Again, you know what we're trying to do? We have community involvement. You know, the Democrats, they want to call it work requirements. It's not work requirements. It's community involvement. We want to help people step up and get off of Medicaid and get on to another insurance. And and that's important because if we've got an able-bodied adult that is just not doing anything except getting Medicaid, not working, not volunteering, not doing anything, that's that's not what Medicaid is for.” [Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, 5/14/25]