Washington is currently focused on whether to extend COVID-era Obamacare subsidy add-ons. Democrats demanded these supposedly temporary subsidies be extended, leading to the recent government shutdown. Even after the end of the shutdown, there is talk in Washington of finding a way to extend these subsidies. Continuing these add-on subsidies creates many problems, starting with the fact it forces taxpayers to subsidize a significantly larger portion of the premiums for people who buy on Obamacare’s individual health insurance exchanges.
However, one major, and overlooked, problem with these subsidies is how they harmed people with employer-sponsored insurance and created large incentives for small employers not to offer health insurance.
Americans choose where to work based on the compensation they receive, which often includes health insurance for themselves and their families. Yet, as a result of the Affordable Care Act, the federal government increasingly penalizes people with employer-sponsored health insurance, while rewarding those who do not get coverage at work. This structure causes employers to forgo offering coverage and workers to prefer jobs where they do not receive health insurance.
If you get employer-sponsored insurance, you get a tax advantage because you get to exclude the premium — a large portion of which is the compensation you earned — from your income taxes and payroll taxes. In contrast, under the ACA, the federal government sends subsidies to health insurers in the names of their enrollees, but these are unearned benefits.
Learn more about this in this week’s commentary.
Have a great weekend,
– Kyle Wingfield
Friday’s Freshest 🗞️
The 50-year mortgage idea recently floated by the Trump administration grows out of the same motivation of the 30-year mortgage of the 1930s—to make home ownership more accessible to people who would otherwise be renters. But today, the main barrier is not how we finance homes—it’s that we don’t build enough of them.
If you’ve followed the conversation even casually, you’ve heard the claim: Large institutional investors are buying up homes, driving prices sky-high and locking families out of the market. But like most stories that sound that simple, this one has more layers. And it’s worth separating the easy headlines from what’s actually happening on the ground.
Here is a simple proposition: If a Georgia public school has an open seat, any Georgia student should be able to take it. This idea isn’t fringe or partisan and shouldn’t require a superintendent’s blessing.
Peach Picks 🍑
Gov. Kemp is leading an economic development mission to Panama this week, focusing on logistics infrastructure and supply chain operations at the Panama Canal. They are accompanied by representatives from the Georgia Ports Authority and Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Georgia’s prisons have had marked changes in 35 years, from longer prison sentences to new technology that allows contraband to be dropped from the sky into state prisons. The Department of Corrections fielded questions from the state House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety about staffing and security after lawmakers added millions to the budget during the last session.
Gov. Kemp announced that BioTouch, a global healthcare logistics company, will invest $12.5 million to expand two existing facilities in Columbus, creating a combined 480 new jobs in Muscogee County over the next four years.
The Atlanta Board of Education voted Wednesday night to approve a sweeping plan that will close or restructure 16 schools across the district beginning in 2027. The plan, known as APS Forward 2040, calls for a mix of closures and repurposing as officials work to address a growing budget shortfall and what they describe as widespread underutilization of school buildings.
Note: Atlanta is in the middle of consolidating and reorganizing schools, with tens of thousands of open seats across the district.
A state Senate study committee released a report Tuesday calling for a comprehensive needs-based aid program for college students just a month before lawmakers are due to return to Atlanta for the 2026 legislative session. But the divisions over funding could make a plan tough to pass, particularly in an election year.
Quotes Of Note 🌟
“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most people dread it.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” – James Clear
One More Fact 💡
Georgia continues to show strength in its labor market. As of August 2025, 5.2 million Georgians are employed and the statewide unemployment rate sits at a low 3.4% — a strong sign for businesses and workers alike.
But while the current workforce is performing well, young Americans are struggling to gain early career experience. Nationally just 53.1% of people ages 16–24 were employed in July 2025 — down from 54.5% a year earlier — and the youth unemployment rate climbed to 10.8%.
For Georgia’s long-term economic outlook that national trend is worth watching. Employers need a steady pipeline of skilled young workers to fill critical roles in trades, healthcare, logistics and other high-demand fields as older workers retire. Ensuring access to apprenticeships, career-focused education and training programs can help more young Georgians transition into meaningful work — strengthening both today’s economy and tomorrow’s.