According to a new Forbes Advisor survey, Georgia has the poorest healthcare system in the country.
The study took into account 26 distinct metrics. It cites excessive expenditures, a shortage of doctors relative to people, and overpriced insurance policies.
Here are some highlights from the study:
- The second largest percentage of residents who choose not to see a doctor at some point in the last year owing to expense (15.50%)
- The third-highest percentage of residents without health insurance coverage (12.63%)
- The fifth-highest renal disease mortality rate (18.87 deaths per 100,000 state people).
- The seventh highest stroke mortality rate is 44.27 deaths per 100,000 state population.
- The ninth-highest average deductible for residents having single health insurance coverage through an employer ($2,269 per year).
Shavonne Williams is a minister in Hephzibah. She stated that churches are utilizing their cash to pay for high-cost medical costs for people who do not have coverage. People in the gap cannot afford private insurance and do not qualify for Georgia Pathways, the state program.
“People across Georgia are unable to receive healthcare. Someone I worked with had no dependents, no job, and was diagnosed with cancer and sought to find money for chemotherapy because they did not qualify for Medicaid,” Williams added.
Rather than extending Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, Gov. Brian Kemp established Georgia Pathways, which includes a job requirement. The governor’s office thinks that more than 400,000 Georgians are qualified. However, Department of Community Health figures from December show that fewer than 2,500 persons enlisted after six months.
During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers considered fully expanding Medicaid. Democrats calculated that the extension would cost the state $1.2 billion, which would be offset by the $10 billion that the federal government has already put up for Georgia.
Senators Matt Brass and Carden Summers broke with fellow Republicans to support Medicaid expansion. The vote was tied, but the measure failed. Instead, lawmakers passed a bill establishing a commission to investigate the possibility of expansion.
Williams stated that sick Georgians don’t have time.
“We need it now, not a commission to study the expansion of Medicaid, we need the coverage gap closed,” Williams added.