2026 Georgia Legislative Priorities

Victory in the fight against cancer requires bold new public policies that promote cancer prevention, early detection of cancer, and expand access to quality, affordable health care. Lawmakers make many decisions that impact the lives of Georgians impacted by cancer and their leadership is vital to defeating this disease. In 2026 the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) will work with the Georgia General Assembly on legislative and regulatory efforts that provide affordable, adequate access to health insurance including Medicaid, ensure adequate funding for lifesaving cancer screening and prevention programs, and enact prevention policies to protect kids from tobacco products and help support those who are trying to quit. We will be making the following fact-based policies a priority and ask for your support:  

Ensuring Access to Quality Care

• Medicaid Expansion: ACS CAN will advocate for low-income individuals and families to have access to comprehensive health insurance coverage and non-emergent medical transportation services through state Medicaid programs. We will support policies that preserve funding and access to Medicaid for low-income parents and adults including changes to Medicaid that increase coverage, benefits, eligibility, or quality of care and improvement of Medicaid systems. ACS CAN will advocate for Medicaid expansion in states that have not increased eligibility up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level and extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months, where relevant. 

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection

• Breast and Cervical Cancer:  ACS CAN will advocate to maintain funding of $3.3 million for the Georgia Breast and Cervical Program which provides free breast and cervical cancer screenings to low-income uninsured and underinsured women and is administered by the Georgia Department of Health. 

Reducing the Toll of Tobacco

• Tobacco Taxes:  As Georgia works to identify funding strategies to fund critical programs, ACS CAN will advocate to increase the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack with a parallel tax on all other tobacco products including e-cigarettes. Increasing the price of cigarettes and all other tobacco products through regular and significant tobacco tax increases helps prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and helps support people who are trying to quit. 
• Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding:  ACS CAN will work to increase funding for fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs to $2.2 million. Increasing funding to $2.2 million will allow the program to run at full capacity again in Georgia.  
• Smoke-free Air:  ACS CAN will work to implement comprehensive local smoke-free ordinances that cover all workplaces.  

For more information, contact: Fabienne Antoine-Nasser,

ACS CAN Georgia Government Relations Director 

ACS CAN is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, please visit www.fightcancer.org.