The New Numbers: Health Insurance Reform Cannot Wait in Georgia

Last week, the U.S. Census released its new numbers for the uninsured. The results are sobering and confirm that health insurance reform cannot wait another year. Nationwide, the number of uninsured increased from 39.8 million in 2001 to 46.3 million in 2008. The facts below underscore the urgency of health insurance reform for residents of Georgia.
 
The status quo is not an option. The number of uninsured in Georgia has increased from 1.3 million in 2001 to 1.7 million in 2008. The percent of non-elderly adults without insurance increased from 18.8% to 23.0%. And this number only considers people who are uninsured for an entire year – it does not include the millions of people in Georgia who have more recently lost coverage through the recession, or who had shorter gaps in their coverage.
 
Private coverage is eroding under the status quo. The percentage of people with employer-based coverage decreased from 69.8% of the population in 2001 to 64.5% in 2008.
 
More workers are being left without protection from health care costs. Too many workers in Georgia do not have health coverage, at 955,000 in 2008. And the proportion of workers from Georgia without insurance has increased, from 17.7% in 2001 to 20.8% in 2008.
 
The problem of the uninsured is a problem that crosses income brackets. The new Census numbers also drive home the fact that everyone in Georgia is vulnerable to losing health insurance. An additional 93,000 people from high-income households are now uninsured.
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Find out how the Democratic health insurance reform plan will help families and businesses in your district here.