Georgia
About 18% of Georgia’s residents lack Health Insurance coverage, which is a very high number, above the national average. For this people, it means bad news, as any Health expense they might need to make will have to be paid out of their own pocket. As in many states, Georgia’s Health Insurance Plans are not accessible to everyone.
Approximately Half of Georgia’s employers offer Health Benefits to its employees, and most of the employees take advantage of these benefits offered. Nevertheless, Georgia’s division of public health, and Georgia’s department of insurance need to come up with more options to offer more alternatives to those who have no current access to Health Insurance coverage.
Despite having a moderate health care coverage and one of the highest percentages of geographical disparity within the US, Health Care is somewhat accessible when it’s necessary, as almost 86% of Georgians have access to Health Care if needed. Despite the big percentage of people that lack Health Insurance, the patients that are served by the Federally Qualified Health Centers is extremely low, with only 8.5% of the population under the 200% FPL get assistance from them.
Georgia offers some alternatives for individuals who have been denied coverage by private Health Insurance agents. It’s encouraged that you visit the Site of Georgia’s Commissioner of Insurance to check out alternatives and ensure that any company or agent you’re looking into has a valid license.
Health Information:
Health Ranking: #41
State Health Department Web Site: http://health.state.ga.us/
Having a high incidence of residents that lack Health Insurance coverage is one of the factors that push Georgia back into the bottom 10 states in the country when it comes to Health issues. Within the US, this state is the 41st healthiest state. Georgia has been hanging at the bottom part of the Health Rank for the past five years.
Some of the biggest reasons and causes that push this state towards the bottom of the ranking are the big geographical disparity within the state, combined with the fact that there are not enough physicians per 100,000. Not only it’s difficult to ensure proper health care in this state, as there are not enough physicians, but it’s also hard to provide accessible health care with such a high geographical disparity and incidence of residents lacking health insurance coverage.
What can be done to improve the health status of Georgia and its residents? Preventive health care needs to be implemented among the people of this state, and Accessibility needs to be improved to ensure that, in case Health Care is needed, it’s not only available, but also efficient.
Health Highlights
- One of the state's biggest strengths is the a low incidence of binge drinking within the state. Only 12% of the population in Georgia are binge drinkers, a low number when compared with the rest of the country.
- Another asset in their favor is the high percentage of complete immunization coverage among infants and toddlers, with over 80% infants and toddlers receiving complete immunizations. This is a great achievement, especially when taken into consideration that Georgia has a a high percentage of children living in poverty conditions within the state (almost 21% of the childeren in Georgia).
- The percentage of smokers within the state has decreased from 31.8%t to 19.4% of the population in the past twenty years.
Health Weaknesses
- One of the key issues that affects the ranking of the state is the great decrease of Government health funding. The government cut Public health funding for this state almost $20 per capita in the past year. This, along with the big percentage of residents lacking of Health Insurance is one of the main challenges the Health Division needs to work on.
- Georgia is one of the states with the highest percentages obesity within the US. The alarming fact is that this percentage (which is close to 30% of the residents being obsese) seems to be going up.
- Georgia is the most air-polluted state in the US for the second year in a row, with 15.9 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter.
- This state has one of the highest percentage (the 4th) of Infectious Disease cases with 29.4 cases per 100,000 residents within the state.
Georgia Health Insurance Quotes
In order to save on health insurance in Georgia and find the best match for your personal coverage needs, you need more information than any one health insurance company can provide. You need to be able to review quotes from a broad range of Georgia health insurance companies and see how their plan rates and benefits stack up. That is why we enable you to choose from a broad range of insurance companies and health insurance plans available in Georgia.
Georgia health insurance news
As a resident of Georgia, it’s always important to be informed of the latest events and news regarding Health Insurance in your state. Here are some of the latest headlines that mention Health Care and Health Insurance related topics for Georgia:
Georgia Office of Insurance Regulation and Department of Health
If you have any additional questions or need special assistance, feel free to visit or contact Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner and Division of Public Health directly:
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
Two Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
West Tower, Suite 704
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Phone: (404) 656-2070
http://www.gainsurance.org
Georgia Division of Public Health
Two Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30303-3186
Phone: (404) 657-2700
http://health.state.ga.us/



