A profile of the medically uninsured in Georgia

The provision of health care to the growing number of persons uninsured against medical expenses affects Georgia doctors, hospitals, and state and local government at all levels. While much is known nationally about the uninsured, there are no good data about this group in Georgia. This study uses U.S. Census Bureau data to provide a demographic profile of Georgians who lack health insurance and to identify groups at particular risk for being uninsured. Approximately 950,000 (17.7%) of non-elderly Georgia residents are uninsured, compared to 37 million (17.6%) in the U.S. as a whole. As is true generally in the U.S., those in Georgia who are poor, young, non-white, and in families with a female head are at greatest risk. Of particular note are the poor in Georgia with incomes from 50% to 100% of the federal poverty level (55.2% uninsured). This population deserves the special attention of all involved in finding a solution to this problem.