Dooley mocked the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies as “a mess” and “band-aids on bullet holes;” he opposed their extension. An estimated 460,000 Georgians could lose their health insurance without the subsidies and Georgians expected their health care premiums to more than double.
Dooley was a do-nothing on reproductive freedom and wanted to “stay out of” the fight for reproductive health care if elected to the Senate. He didn’t care that Georgia’s heartbeat law threatened women’s lives and he praised the Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade.
Dooley Claimed That The Enhanced Subsides Were “A Mess” And Called Them “Band-Aids.” According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Dooley called the enhanced subsidies ‘a mess’ created by Democrats and blamed Washington for ‘putting Band-Aids on bullet holes and sticking taxpayers with the bill.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/11/25]
Dooley Said The Democrats “Created This Mess, Including The Looming Expiration Of These Enhanced Subsidies” And Claimed That “Instead Of Fixing What’s Broken, D.C. Politicians Keep Putting Band-Aids On Bullet Holes And Sticking Taxpayers With The Bill To Bail Out Insurers And Benefit The Middlemen.” According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “We told you earlier this week how U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., is making health insurance subsidies a central issue of his reelection campaign. His Republican rivals are taking the opposite approach. U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, and former football coach Derek Dooley say they oppose a plan in the U.S. Senate that would extend the subsidies for another three years. The Republican-controlled Senate is set to vote on the proposal this week, which is likely to fail. [...] Dooley said Democrats ‘created this mess, including the looming expiration of these enhanced subsidies.’ ‘Instead of fixing what’s broken, D.C. politicians keep putting band-aids on bullet holes and sticking taxpayers with the bill to bail out insurers and benefit the middlemen,’ he said.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/10/25]
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]
Dooley Underscored His Alignment With Trump And The Supreme Court That Abortion Was “An Issue That Needs To Get Decided By The States” And Declared That “As A Federal Senator, We Need To Stay Out Of It.” According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “On federal abortion limits: ‘I stand with President Trump, and I stand with the Supreme Court that it’s an issue that needs to get decided by the states. The states are much closer to their people. They’re better equipped to make change if change is called for. And so as a federal senator, we need to stay out of it.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/25/25]
[AUDIO] Dooley Stopped Short Of Endorsing Georgia’s Heartbeat Bill And Thought That Senators “Need To Stay Out Of It And Not Have An Opinion On It Because The Federal Government Needs To Not Weigh In.” “HOST: Do you support the state's abortion limits passed in 2019 with Governor Kemp's signature? DOOLEY: Well, the states, like I said, they should be in charge of it. As a senator, I need to stay out of it and not have an opinion on it because the federal government needs to not weigh in. We tried that for 40 years and it's all it did was create a level of division in our country that was probably worse than any other issue. And so, I like where we are now. I think the states need to do it, and I think the states need to serve for what the people want.” [Politically Georgia, 8/25/25]
[VIDEO] Dooley Stood “Firmly With President Trump And The Supreme Court” That Abortion Was “An Issue That Needs To Be Decided By The States” Because “The States Are Better Equipped To Get A Bead On Their People And What They Want. And They Can Move A Lot Quicker Than The Federal Government.” “HOST: Do you support Governor Kemp's Life Act the abortion law to protect life? DOOLEY: Well, what I will say is that this issue has divided our country for my entire lifetime and neither side barges in. So I stand firmly with President Trump and the Supreme Court that it's an issue that needs to be decided by the states. And the states are better equipped to get a bead on their people and what they want. And they can move a lot quicker than the federal government. So I'm a firm believer in that, and I'm glad President Trump and the Supreme Court pushed for that and. That's what Governor Kemp ran on. That's the legislator ran on, and that's what the people voted on.” [Martha Zoller Show, 8/14/25]