Metro Atlanta doctor warns health insurance premiums could spike 800%, leaving thousands at risk of losing coverage
A metro Atlanta doctor who helps patients navigate serious illness is now bracing for a crisis of her own: an 800% spike in her health insurance premium. And she fears the soaring costs could push thousands of Georgia families out of the marketplace altogether.
Dr. Sherika Newman, a palliative care specialist who runs her practice Doctor in the Family from her Atlanta home, says she was stunned when she learned that her monthly premium — currently around $100 — could increase to as much as $800.
"My premium is around $100 now… and it's going up to 800," said Dr. Sherika Newman.
Newman says the jump isn't just a personal financial blow — it's a warning sign for what millions of Americans could soon face.
"Millions of Americans may become uninsured."
For years, Newman has counseled patients who struggle to maintain stable coverage. Now, she says she is confronting the same dilemma.
"My biggest concern is that we have millions of Americans that will become uninsured because the premiums are no longer affordable," said Dr. Newman.
Among those most vulnerable are Georgians caught in the gap: individuals who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to absorb a premium that can reach four figures.
That includes Michelle Phillips of Kennesaw, who currently pays $458 a month through the Affordable Care Act.
Phillips, 62, doesn't qualify for Medicare — but both her husband and her 83-year-old mother do.
"I'm 62, so I have no insurance," said Phillips.
Her costs are already steep: a $4,150 deductible and more than $8,000 in out-of-pocket expenses. She says she's now stocking up on asthma inhalers out of fear she may lose coverage altogether when the new year begins.
The consequences: more emergency care, fewer checkups
If premiums continue to climb, Newman believes the fallout will be felt across the state's healthcare system — especially in emergency rooms.
"We're going to see a rise in emergent and urgent care needs over preventative and primary care needs," said Dr. Newman.
Without affordable insurance, she says, patients often delay seeking care until their conditions become life-threatening.
Are there any alternatives?
Newman says some Georgians may turn to direct primary care — a model in which patients pay a flat monthly fee — or sliding-scale clinics, which adjust costs based on income.
"A lot of times it's called a sliding-scale model, where how much you pay is based on how much you make," said Dr. Newman.
But she cautions that these alternatives do not replace major medical coverage, meaning expensive emergencies or hospital stays would still fall on patients.
What's next?
Newman worries the state could soon see widespread instability as people are forced to choose between keeping their insurance and meeting their basic needs.
She says direct primary care — often a few hundred dollars a month — might help some families temporarily, but it cannot fill the growing gap in coverage created by skyrocketing premiums.
CBS News Atlanta will continue tracking the impact of these increases as January approaches.