Three-Quarters of Georgia's Uninsured Children Qualify for Care

By Odette Yousef

Atlanta, GA – Nearly one in nine children in Georgia is uninsured, according to a new report from the health care advocacy group Families USA.

Using data from the Census Bureau, the report estimates an average of 307,000 uninsured children in Georgia from 2005 until 2008. That's the fifth-highest number in the country.

Families USA president Ron Pollack says these families are not expecting an entitlement:

POLLACK: 86.2% in the state are in families where at least one parent works. Also, almost 70% are in families where one parent works full-time, year-round.

A forthcoming report from Georgia State University's Health Policy Center and Robinson School of Business finds 78% of those children do qualify for a public healthcare program.

Dr. Martin Michaels, a pediatrician in Dalton, says policies
implemented in 2006 and 2007, are keeping kids off the rolls:

MICHAELS: Those changes in administrative steps to verifying citizenship and income, have caused many families to experience difficulties and delays in enrolling and also in re-determining their eligibility.

The state's Department of Community Health did not respond to interview requests by airtime.