Study Shows Number of Uninsured Georgians Continues to Rise;
Young Adults among Fastest Growing Uninsured Group
October 11, 2005 - (ATLANTA) The estimated number of uninsured Georgians increased between 2003 and 2004 by just over 1% according to a report by Dr. William S. Custer and Dr. Patricia Ketsche of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. This represents an increase in Georgians who are uninsured from 1.4 million to 1.5 million.
The report, based on Census Bureau data taken in March, has been tracking Georgia's uninsured for the past five years and continues to show an increase in the number of Georgians without health insurance. According to the study, this increase directly corresponds to the rise in health care costs, which continues to outpace economic growth, relative to family income.
According to Custer, associate professor and director of the Center for Health Services Research at Robinson, "While the primary source of health insurance for Georgians is through employment-based plans, over the past five years the rate of uninsured has been highest and increasing rapidly among those living in families headed by a worker at a small firm."
Ketsche adds that the rate of uninsured among young adults has also been significant. "Over the past five years, the number of uninsured young adults between 18 and 24 years-old has increased from 28% to 33% and private coverage fell by 11%."
According to the report, families with incomes between 100 and 200 percent of the federal poverty level and families headed by a part-time or part-year worker are also at risk and have shown significant rates of uninsured.
The full report is available through the College's Center for Health Services Research Center. For more information contact Patricia Ketsche 404/413-7635 or William Custer 404/413-7636.
The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the top-ranked business schools in the nation. The College's Flex (part-time) MBA program has been listed in the top ten by U.S. News for the past ten consecutive years and its undergraduate business program is ranked among the top 50 in the nation. The College's Executive MBA program is listed on The Financial Times list of the world's top-ranked offerings and BusinessWeek magazine ranks it 24th in the world. Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment of more than 7000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta.
For more information, contact:
Tammy DeMel
Associate Director, Communications and External Affairs
J. Mack Robinson College of Business
404/413-7078 (voice)
404/702-9743 |
