Georgia has the fifth highest rate of uninsured children in the nation, leaving about 217,000 kids without health care coverage in 2018.
That’s according to a new report out Wednesday from the Center for Children & Families at Georgetown University.
The study used U.S. Census data to track children’s insurance rates from 2016 to 2018. It found more than 400,000 kids across the country lost coverage during that time, bringing the total number of uninsured children to more than 4 million.
Those are numbers with real impacts, says Joan Alker, who authored the study.
“Children who have [insurance through programs such as] Medicaid have better health outcomes, even as adults,” she said. “They’re more likely to graduate from high school and have higher earnings as adults, and as a result use fewer government benefits in the long term.”
Alker attributes the decline in coverage to a few main factors, including an increase in the time and paperwork it takes to sign up for programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and attacks on the Affordable Care Act.
She also points to the Trump administration’s immigration policies, such as a rule that would make it harder for immigrants who use government services to get green cards.
The rule is currently blocked in court, but Alker argues that it still has an impact.
“A climate of hostility … has led to fear and reluctance among immigrant parents to enroll their children in government programs,” she said.
The study finds the loss of coverage was greatest among white and Latino children, children under 6, and those from low and moderate income families.
And that states that have not expanded Medicaid, such as Georgia, saw larger increases in their rates of uninsured children.
Gov. Brian Kemp has promised to tweak Georgia’s Medicaid program, which could result in more people getting coverage. He’s expected to release his plans for those alterations soon.
The Georgetown study trends echo those from a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau that also showed an uptick in the number of uninsured children.
