Study: House Health Bill could Insure 1 Million Georgians

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Georgia is among the states that stand to gain the most from a health reform bill that the U.S. House of Representatives is considering. A study by the Washington-based group Families USA estimates it would help to cover more than 1 million Georgians by 2019.

WABE's Odette Yousef reports.

The study extrapolates from figures of the Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Census Bureau. Ron Pollack heads the health-care advocacy non-profit that's behind it:

POLLACK: In Georgia, more than 1.3 million - 1,331,000 people - would gain coverage.

That makes Georgia one of only 8 states where more than 1 million people could gain first-time coverage in the next decade. In 2007, 1.7 million Georgians were uninsured, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

So far, two of three House Committees have approved the bill. President Obama is pushing for Congress to pass something before they begin their August recess.

Odette Yousef, WABE News