Georgia’s health status

Georgia is ranked at the 41st position in United Health Foundation’s Health Rankings, an annual list that ranks all the states in the US according to their Health Care System status. Despite losing a spot in the ranking (it was ranked 40th in 2007), Georgia is still in the second best position since being ranked at an all-time low of 45 in 2004. Issues that weighed in the drop are the noticeable decrease of public health funding (it went from being $96 per person in 2007 to $75 per person in 2008), the decrease of immunization coverage (it declined from 83.3 percent to 80.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations), and an increasing obesity percentage that makes Georgia today the 10th most obese state in the US.

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, and is also one of the states with the lowest percentages in High School Graduation (only 61.7%), Infectious Disease cases (29.4 per 100,000 population), and lack of Health Insurance, with 17.6 of the Georgians with no Health Insurance Coverage. Georgia ranks lower for health determinants than for health outcomes, indicating that overall healthiness may decline over time.

The high geographical disparity percentage within the state (12.8%), combined with the low number of primary care physicians and the reduced public health funding might be a key to understanding the lack of accessibility of the Health System, and why so many people lack Health Insurance in Georgia.

The state also has some good things to look upon. For example, some of the state’s strengths include a low prevalence of binge drinking (12.3% of Georgians) and high immunization coverage with 80.8 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations, despite the high percentage of children in poverty within the state, 20.6%. Also, since 1990, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 31.8%t to 19.4% of the population.

Georgia health insurance information

Georgia has one of the lowest percentages of people with Health Insurance, only about 80% of the citizens in Georgia have Health Insurance, and this number has been dropping over the past few years as well. This means that roughly 20% of the population in Georgia has no Health Insurance, and this fact, alongside the very high geographical disparity within the state shows that accessibility is one of the biggest problems of the Health Care in Georgia. The percentage of employers offering health insurance to employees has also been decreasing, and at 51.2% it’s another issue to be worked on. Nevertheless, 78.3% of workers take the Health Insurance plans offered by their employers.

Despite a very average primary health care coverage and combined with one of the highest percentages of geographical disparity in the country, Health Care is relatively accessible when needed, with the percentage of population that could get medical care when needed at when needed at 84.9%. Despite the big percentage of people that lack Health Insurance, the patients served by FQHCs as a percent of population under 200% FPL stands at 12.6%, a low number.

If coverage has been denied for you, there are still some options you can check:

Best Health Plans in Georgia

The prestigious US News ranks yearly the best Health Plans in the country, polling and evaluating consumer assessment, prevention, and treatment offered by all plans. They gather information and rank the results, nation-wide and state-wide, showing on their results the best plans available for Georgia as well. The Rankings reflect results of consumer surveys and success in preventing and treating illness compared with average health plan.

Not only they rank Commercial Plans, they also rank Medicare or Medicaid plans, covering and evaluating as many plans as possible. If you want to browse their list of best-of, please go to the US News Health Plans Search site.

Get involved

If you are concerned about Georgia’s health care issues and want to speak out, your safest bet is to contact your federal official, either via phone or fax. Postal Mail is not recommended, since it takes too long, and e-mail might not be seen. Also, make sure you communicate with the right Member of the Senate and/or Congress.

If you want more guidance and tips on how to contact and communicate with your representatives, there are various sites on the internet that can help on how to contact your elected officials.

Contact the White House PHONE: toll free 1-800-671-7887 (ask for the Comment Line) FAX: 1 202-456-2461 E-MAIL:comments@whitehouse.gov State officials: Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue 203 State Capitol Atlanta, Georgia 30334 PHONE: (404) 656-1776 FAX: (404) 657-7332 Senator Johnny Isakson PHONE: 202-224-3643 (DC office) FAX: 202-228-0724 (DC office) Web Form: http://isakson.senate.gov/contact.cfm Senator Saxby Chambliss PHONE: 202-224-3521 (DC office) FAX: 202-224-0103 (DC office) Web Form: http://chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactUs.ContactForm&CFID=51392169&CFTOKEN=14703251 Official Georgia health insurance information PeachCare for Kids A Children’s Health Insurance Program to expand coverage to children in low income families. It is not a Medicaid plan. The plan will pay for preventive services and acute medical care, as well as vision and dental care. Georgia State Insurance Commission Provides oversight of regulated industries, consumer protection, and broad-based educational activities.		Recent Georgia health insurance news Health Insurance is always a hot topic for discussion, since it involves the citizens of Georgia and their welfare. Here are some of the latest news and updates on the current issues and news related to Health and Health Insurance for Georgia: