Number of Uninsured in Georgia Expected To Rise, Despite Recent Coverage Expansions

Despite efforts by Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes (D), state health officials and lawmakers to expand health coverage to the state's uninsured, officials say the number of residents without health insurance "is about to go up," the Florida Times-Union reports. State officials' recent moves to increase employer-sponsored care and expand the state's Medicaid program and PeachCare for Kids, its CHIP program, have resulted in a "slight decline" -- approximately 30,000 people -- in the number of uninsured. However, there are some indications that the state's uninsured population is about to rise, the Times-Union reports. For example, in November, 28.4% of parents applying for PeachCare said "they recently lost their health insurance because they were laid off," compared with 6.2% of applicants in June. William Custer, a health economist at the center and co-author of a recent Georgia State University's Center for Risk Management and Insurance Research report on the uninsured, "blamed" both unemployment and "higher health costs" for the growing number of uninsured. He said, "Health insurance premiums are through the roof. Employers have less incentive to offer health coverage. ... All these issues are compounding at once." Recent efforts by the state to expand health coverage have been "blunted" by the announcement of state budget cuts, the Times-Union reports. The Department of Community Health, for instance, has been charged with cutting this year's budget by 2.5%, which has affected a planned $2.1 million Medicaid expansion for children in families with incomes up to 150% of the federal poverty level. The department has decided to delay the expansion, meaning that about 2,500 uninsured children of low-income state workers will not be able to receive coverage. The department also plans to cut Medicaid coverage for 475 people with cystic fibrosis, a move expected to save the state $1.6 million (Williams, Florida Times-Union, 12/2).