Georgians prepare for rising health care costs; Microsoft opens Atlanta data center

Summary

Georgia Today Podcast Summary

Episode Date: November 12, 2025
Host: Peter Biello (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
Featured Topics: Rising health care costs in Georgia, Microsoft’s new Atlanta data center, local and business news, and sports updates.

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Episode Overview

This episode of Georgia Today centers on two major themes: the mounting health care costs confronting Georgians as federal subsidies expire, and the opening of Microsoft’s Atlanta data center—positioned to be a crucial hub in the company's AI initiatives. The episode intersperses these stories with updates on Atlanta Fed leadership, promising developments in anxiety treatment studies, new manufacturing jobs, sports victories, and local election news.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Health Care Premiums on the Rise (00:30 – 04:15)

Reporter: Sophie Graudas

• Context: With the potential expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits (introduced during the COVID-19 era), many Georgians are grappling with skyrocketing health care premiums and the difficult choices this creates.
• Personal Stories:
  • Brandy McGee Pilati (Jackson County):
    • Received notice her ACA premium tax credit will expire, spiking her monthly premium from $124 to $345.23.
    • Quote:

      "That was kind of scary." (01:10, Brandy McGee Pilati)

    • Acknowledges her need for insurance for expensive, ongoing medical conditions, expressing anger at a system where “people like me” drive rates up.
    • Quote:

      "So I definitely am someone that is causing insurance rates to rise for people. How does that make me feel? It angers me." (02:03, Brandy McGee Pilati)

    • Worries about future cuts to other benefits, such as her husband's disability or children's Social Security.
  • Teresa Acosta (Dunwoody):
    • Had to close her COVID-born catering business after finding out her premiums will climb to over $500/month—about a third of her income.
    • Quote:

      "I don't see a world in which I can afford that. I'll likely have to look at Medicaid, see if I qualify or if at least my kids qualify." (03:08, Teresa Acosta)

    • Her child’s Type 1 diabetes makes continuous coverage essential.
• Community Impact:
  • Deanna Williams (Health Insurance Enrollment Counselor):
    • Urges people to closely review their insurance options and income during open enrollment.
    • Quote:

      "Review your income, your estimated amount, your household size, your current plan." (03:41, Deanna Williams)

    • Expresses concern many healthy and sick individuals may not be able to afford any coverage.
    • Quote:

      "If you can't pay for your premium, you certainly can't pay for a large hospital bill." (03:56, Deanna Williams)

    • Medicaid may help some, but many fall through the cracks.

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2. Microsoft Opens Atlanta Data Center, Powering AI Growth (06:06 – 06:51)

• Microsoft launched a new data center in Atlanta (operational since October 2025).
• This facility, paired with a Wisconsin site, is central in Microsoft’s “first AI super factory,” leveraging hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips for artificial intelligence computing.

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3. Atlanta Fed President Announces Retirement (04:15 – 04:58)

• Rafael Bostic, president of Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, will retire in February.
• Context: Amid President Trump's interest in steering more national monetary policy.
• Selection process for his successor is underway.
• Bostic reflects:
  • Quote:

    "Even today, there are folks that are looking out for me and I don't know why they chose to do it. I don't know how, but I've been grateful for it. And those are the things that I remember." (04:46, Rafael Bostic)

• Notably, Bostic was the first Black and openly gay regional Fed president (since 2017).

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4. Anxiety Study Using Psychedelics in Atlanta (05:22 – 06:06)

• Ongoing clinical trial led by Dr. Sandra Mass Robinson at iResearch Atlanta, using MM120 (a form of LSD) for generalized anxiety disorder.
• Highlights the need for new, lasting anxiety treatments with fewer side effects.
• Results expected in 2026.

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5. FDA Lifts Warning on Hormone Therapy for Women (06:51 – 07:12)

• Hormone-based menopause therapies will no longer carry bold warnings about severe risks.
• Savannah menopause expert Dr. Pam Gaudrey commends the FDA:
  • Quote:

    "They're just going to get their lives back ... they're going to sleep better, their mood swings are going to go away and they're going to be able to enjoy a sexual life for as long as they desire." (06:51, Dr. Pam Gaudrey)

• Some doctors remain cautious about the regulatory process.

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6. Local Legislative and Economic Updates (07:12 – 09:21)

• Special elections in Cherokee County and northeast Georgia follow the deaths and resignations of state representatives.
• Socomex (France) is investing $10 million in a new manufacturing facility in Gwinnett County, promising 300 jobs, focusing on products that support energy continuity for businesses.

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7. Atlanta Gets National Women’s Soccer League Team (09:21 – 09:55)

• Arthur Blank (owner of Atlanta Falcons & United) to bring an NWSL franchise to Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium in 2028.
• $165 million to be invested in training and headquarters.
• Local high school soccer player Elizabeth Nilsen expresses enthusiasm:
  • Quote:

    "This growing NSWL team is just going to be so amazing, not only for the city, but for all of these young women out here." (09:41, Elizabeth Nilsen)

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8. Sports: Braves Catcher Wins Rookie of the Year (10:41 – End)

• Atlanta Braves’ Drake Baldwin named National League Rookie of the Year for 2025.
• Quote from Baldwin:

  • "It's still kind of surreal right now, but yeah, it's just an incredible year and was super excited it's ending this way." (10:41, Drake Baldwin)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “I don't see a world in which I can afford that. I'll likely have to look at Medicaid, see if I qualify or if at least my kids qualify.”
  — Teresa Acosta, talking about new health insurance premiums (03:08)

• "So I definitely am someone that is causing insurance rates to rise for people. How does that make me feel? It angers me."
  — Brandy McGee Pilati, on the burden of her medical needs (02:03)

• “If you can't pay for your premium, you certainly can't pay for a large hospital bill.”
  — Deanna Williams, health insurance counselor (03:56)

• “They're just going to get their lives back because they're going to sleep better, their mood swings are going to go away and they're going to be able to enjoy a sexual life for as long as they desire.”
  — Dr. Pam Gaudrey, on hormone therapy label changes (06:51)

• "It's still kind of surreal right now... It's just an incredible year and was super excited it's ending this way."
  — Drake Baldwin, Braves catcher & Rookie of the Year (10:41)

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Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Introduction to rising health care premiums | | 01:07 | Brandy McGee Pilati’s health care struggles | | 02:27 | Teresa Acosta’s catering business and premium shock | | 03:41 | Deanna Williams offers open enrollment advice | | 04:15 | Atlanta Fed President Rafael Bostic's retirement news | | 05:22 | Atlanta clinical trial on psychedelics for anxiety | | 06:06 | Microsoft’s Atlanta data center opens | | 06:51 | FDA lifts warning on hormone therapy | | 07:12 | Legislative election updates and Socomex facility | | 09:21 | Atlanta awarded new NWSL soccer franchise | | 10:41 | Braves’ Drake Baldwin wins NL Rookie of the Year |

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Conclusion

This episode provides a snapshot of the economic, health, and cultural moments shaping Georgia: from families forced to make impossible health care decisions, to major tech investment, to milestones in sports and women’s leadership. The speakers’ stories emphasize the direct impact of federal and local policy on everyday Georgians, while the state’s growth and resilience remain in sharp focus.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, Microsoft opens a huge Atlanta data center. The president and CEO of the Federal Reserve bank of Atlanta plans to retire, and Georgians prepare to see the costs of health care rise dramatically.

[B]

I don't see a world in which I can afford that. I'll likely have to look at Medicaid, see if I qualify or if at least my kids qualify.

[A]

Today is Wednesday, November 12th. I'm Peter Biello, and this is GEORGIA Today. With the help of eight Democrats, the Senate has voted to reopen the federal government. The break in the shutdown stalemate comes without the one thing Democrats in Congress had been insisting on protecting tax subsidies for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. As GPB's Sophie Gradis reports, that leaves some in Georgia still grappling with sticker shock.

[C]

At Brandy McGee Pilates home in Jackson county near Athens, she plays me a phone message. We're reaching out to let you know that your Affordable Care act premium tax credit is set to expire, which will.

[B]

Cause your monthly premium to increase.

[C]

So I got that yesterday and that was that was kind of scary. I was like, okay, well, I guess I'll call them back tomorrow morning. Turns out Pilates plan will be more affordable than she expected. And the new premium is $345.23 from $124 a month, but that's still three times more expensive. Pallotti is still eligible for a type of ACA subsidy that's different from the COVID era enhanced premium tax credits helping 20 million people afford health care and set to expire if Congress doesn't renew them. Pilati really likes her plan, even if her family will have to save more to keep it. It's helped her get care from doctors she trusts for a variety of expensive conditions that affect her brain. Not having health insurance isn't an option. So I definitely am someone that is causing insurance rates to rise for people. How does that make me feel? It angers me. Pilati worries. Proposals to cut the COVID era subsidies suggest lawmakers might not protect her husband's monthly disability or her child's Social Security check. And what would we do if they did that? Pilati is not alone in having to navigate the fragility of all these social safety nets. Up I85 in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody, Teresa Acosta is coming to terms with closing her catering business, which she.

[B]

Started during COVID I started cooking family meals out of my house and selling them to my neighbors.

[C]

Over time, this became her source of.

[B]

Income and it worked really well for my family and it was able to sustain us. I really was able to do that because I could afford insurance.

[C]

Acosta was eligible for a Covid era tax credit, too. Her plan covers her and her three kids. Acosta says she knew she would have to close her business if federal lawmakers ended the tax credit. She'd already been struggling with tariffs, which were making her ingredients more expensive. On November 1, she got a look at her new premium, over $500 a month. Next year, a third of her income. That's on top of a higher annual deductible.

[B]

I don't see a world in which I can afford that. I'll likely have to look at Medicaid, see if I qualify or if at least my kids qualify.

[C]

One of her Kids has type 1 diabetes and requires daily medication. Acosta is hoping to get employer sponsored health coverage soon. A higher monthly premium is just one change people have to wrestle with, says Deanna Williams, a certified counselor of health insurance applications. She's been telling people to check everything during open enrollment, what they'll have to pay out of pocket to see the doctor where they can see the doctor.

[B]

Review your income, your estimated amount, your household size, your current plan.

[C]

But Williams knows many people, both healthy and sick, just won't be able to afford their new plans. She worries about her friends and family, who might go without health insurance altogether.

[B]

If you can't pay for your premium, you certainly can't pay for a large hospital bill.

[C]

If someone's income is low enough or they have a qualifying condition, Williams can enroll them in Medicaid or other state medical assistance. Everyone else just has to decide what they're willing to pay for. GPB News I'm Sophie Graudas.

[A]

The president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve bank of Atlanta plans to retire at the end of his current term in February. Today's announcement from Atlanta Fed chief Rafael Bostic comes as President Trump is seeking to exert more influence over the Nation's monetary policy. Bostic's replacement will be selected by the Atlanta Fed's board of directors and the Fed's Washington, D.C. based board of Governors will vote on whether to approve the replacement. Speaking at an unrelated Fed listening session in Atlanta today, Bostic reflected on his career.

[B]

Even today, there are folks that are looking out for me and I don't know why they chose to do it. I don't know how, but I've been grateful for it. And those are the things that I remember.

[A]

Bostic became the nation's first black and openly gay president of a regional Fed bank in 2017. He recently has expressed concerns that inflation is still too high for the Fed to deeply cut its key rate. A clinical trial in Atlanta is recruiting adult participants for a study on treating anxiety with psychedelic medication. GPB's Ellen Eldredge reports recent studies show.

[B]

Scientific evidence supporting the potential use of psychedelics to treat mental health disorders like generalized anxiety disorder. Dr. Sandra Mass Robinson is a psychiatrist and principal investigator on the study with iResearch Atlanta. She says the trial is using a drug called MM120, a form of LSD for generalized anxiety disorder. You know, we really don't have any products on the market that give a sustained affect control of the anxiety without a lot of, well, potential side effects. And sadly that's just the nature of the beast, she says. The study results are expected in 2026. For GPB news, I'm Ellen Eldridge.

[A]

Microsoft has powered on its new data center in Atlanta, the company said today. The facility began operating in October. The the project is connected to another in Wisconsin to form what Microsoft calls its first AI super factory, running on hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips to power artificial intelligence. Hormone based drugs used to treat hot flashes and other menopause symptoms in women will no longer carry a bold warning label about stroke, heart attack and other serious risks. The Food and Drug Administration announced the move Monday, eliciting praise from many doctors, including a menopause expert in Savannah. Dr. Pam Gaudrey says women can now enjoy without fear the benefits that hormone treatments have given men for decades.

[B]

As the testosterone commercials say, you golf better, you dance better, you know you have more energy. I think we'll bring that back to women. They're just going to get their lives back because they're going to sleep better, their mood swings are going to go away and they're going to be able to enjoy a sexual life for as long as they desire.

[A]

Gaudrey said the warning labels required since 2003, quote, destroyed lives and marriages. Some doctors were concerned about the process that led to this latest decision. Six candidates have stepped forward to fill a Cherokee county legislative seat that was left empty after the death of the district state representative last month. Canton Republican Representative Mandy Ballinger died of cancer in October. Five Republicans and one Democrat have qualified to replace her in the state house. House District 23 was drawn to favor a Republican. The last time Ballinger had a Democratic opponent was in 2018, and she won with nearly three quarters of the vote. The election is scheduled for December 9, with early voting set to begin Monday, November 17. With six candidates splitting the vote, it's likely that none of them will exceed the required 50% threshold to avoid a runoff. The runoff would be held January 6th. A Democrat focused on health care and housing and a Republican focused on local concerns have qualified to compete in the special election to fill a vacant House seat in northeast Georgia. Democrat Eric Gisler and Republican Mack Dutch Guest IV are on the ballot for the House District 121 special election on December 9th. Early voting starts next week. The special election was called after the abrupt resignation of Republican State Representative Marcus Weedauer from Watkinsville, who stepped down to focus on his work in real estate. A global manufacturer of electrical components and systems plans to build a $10 million manufacturing site in metro Atlanta's Gwinnett County. France based Socomex said today its facility near suwanee will create 300 new jobs, with hiring beginning early next year. The company specializes in power switching, monitoring and energy storage products that help keep large businesses running when the power goes out. Arthur Blank's Georgia sports empire is growing again the National Women's Soccer League says Atlanta has been awarded a Blank owned expansion franchise. Blank Already owns the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United. GPB's Amanda Andrews reports. The announcement came at an event last night celebrating the contributions of women and girls to sports.

[B]

The city will host the league's 17th team at Mercedes Benz Stadium starting in 2028. Speakers at the event included the new team owner Arthur Blank, Mayor Andre Dickens and NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman. Elizabeth Nilsen is a senior soccer player at North Atlanta High School. She says she's excited to see women train and compete in Atlanta.

[C]

This growing NSWL team is just going to be so amazing, not only for the city, but for all of these young women out here. And I've been playing soccer for majority of my life and I'm just so, so excited to see the growth that it has.

[B]

Blank's A and B Sports and Entertainment group will build a $165 million training ground and headquarters for the team. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews. A toxic fire, a plume of smoke and a community demanding answers In Conyers, Georgia. The Biolab disaster left residents searching for truth and accountability this season. GPB uncovers system failures, hears from whistleblowers and follows neighbors still fighting to be heard. I'm Pamela Kirkland. Join me for season two of Manufacturing the Biolab Story. Listen now at gpb.org podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin has won the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year award. Baldwin captured 21 of 30 first place votes from the Baseball Writers association of America, which has given the award nationally since 1947. Baldwin hit.274 this year with 19 homers and 80 RBIs over 124 games. Baldwin told reporters after the announcement this week that he's still processing the news of the award. It's still kind of surreal right now, but yeah, it's just an incredible year and was super excited it's ending this way. Baldwin is the 10th Braves player to win the Rookie of the Year award and the first since outfielder Michael Harris ii won in 2022. He's the second Atlanta catcher to earn the honor, joining Earl Williams in 1971. And the Braves are already planning to give away a commemorative Drake Baldwin bobblehead. That giveaway is scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, as the Braves host the Athletics at Truest Park. And that is a wrap on Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. We appreciate you choosing GPB as your source of news. We've got more news coming your way tomorrow, so make sure you subscribe to this podcast and check gpb.org news for updates. You can be our eyes and ears wherever you happen to be in Georgia. Let us know about what's going on in your community. If it's newsworthy, we'd love to cover it. You can send an email to georgia todaypb.org you could also send us feedback on what you've heard so far. Again, Georgia Todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We'll see you tomorrow.