Georgia residents without health insurance represent 13.41% of the state’s population, the third-highest percentage among the 50 states, according to a new study by the financial services website WalletHub.
Between the years 2010 and 2019, the uninsured rate in Georgia declined 6.29%, the analysis said. Among the state’s children, the uninsured rate stood at 7.41%, while among adults the rate was 15.48% as of 2019.
The passage of Obamacare caused the national uninsured rate for adults to decline to a record low, according to WalletHub. As of last year, the national rate stood at 9.2%, up slightly from the 8.9 percent rate in 2018, the study said.
The uptick in the uninsured rate is especially concerning during the coronavirus pandemic, when the average cost of a COVID-19 hospital stay stands at $73,000, according to WalletHub.
The website compared health insurance coverage rates in all 50 states using U.S. Census Bureau data. The study also looked at different populations within states based on age, race and income.
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Percentage of State Populations Without Health Insurance
| Overall Rank (1 = Lowest) |
State | 2019 Overall Uninsured Rate | Change in Uninsured Rate Between 2010 & 2019 | 2019 Children’s Uninsured Rate (Rank) |
2019 Adults’ Uninsured Rate (Rank) |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 2.99 | -1.42% | 1.52% (1) |
3.39% (1) |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 4.09 | -8.08% | 1.90% (2) |
4.68% (3) |
| 3 | Hawaii | 4.16 | -3.73% | 2.80% (5) |
4.57% (2) |
| 4 | Vermont | 4.49 | -3.56% | 2.09% (3) |
5.09% (4) |
| 5 | Minnesota | 4.88 | -4.18% | 3.08% (7) |
5.48% (5) |
| 6 | Iowa | 5.01 | -4.30% | 2.92% (6) |
5.70% (6) |
| 7 | New York | 5.24 | -6.66% | 2.36% (4) |
6.06% (7) |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5.71 | -3.71% | 3.77% (16) |
6.31% (9) |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 5.77 | -4.40% | 4.56% (22) |
6.11% (8) |
| 10 | Michigan | 5.78 | -6.59% | 3.42% (10) |
6.49% (10) |
| 11 | Connecticut | 5.90 | -3.20% | 3.48% (12) |
6.58% (11) |
| 12 | Maryland | 6.00 | -5.27% | 3.39% (9) |
6.81% (13) |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 6.25 | -4.88% | 3.68% (15) |
6.92% (14) |
| 14 | Kentucky | 6.44 | -8.81% | 4.26% (19) |
7.14% (17) |
| 15 | Delaware | 6.56 | -3.13% | 4.82% (24) |
7.07% (15) |
| 16 | Ohio | 6.58 | -5.74% | 4.79% (23) |
7.14% (16) |
| 17 | Washington | 6.62 | -7.63% | 3.08% (8) |
7.70% (19) |
| 18 | West Virginia | 6.68 | -7.92% | 3.52% (13) |
7.55% (18) |
| 19 | North Dakota | 6.90 | -2.87% | 7.77% (42) |
6.60% (12) |
| 20 | Oregon | 7.17 | -9.98% | 4.10% (18) |
8.03% (20) |
| 21 | Illinois | 7.39 | -6.38% | 4.03% (17) |
8.45% (21) |
| 22 | California | 7.70 | -10.84% | 3.55% (14) |
9.02% (27) |
| 23 | New Jersey | 7.89 | -5.35% | 4.32% (20) |
8.97% (26) |
| 24 | Virginia | 7.93 | -5.14% | 4.89% (25) |
8.88% (24) |
| 25 | Colorado | 8.01 | -7.91% | 5.45% (28) |
8.79% (23) |
| 26 | Maine | 8.02 | -2.11% | 5.60% (29) |
8.62% (22) |
| 27 | Montana | 8.27 | -9.05% | 6.22% (37) |
8.88% (25) |
| 28 | Nebraska | 8.29 | -3.23% | 5.66% (30) |
9.24% (28) |
| 29 | Indiana | 8.72 | -6.11% | 7.14% (39) |
9.25% (29) |
| 30 | Louisiana | 8.90 | -8.91% | 4.36% (21) |
10.45% (33) |
| 31 | Arkansas | 9.15 | -8.31% | 5.86% (35) |
10.24% (30) |
| 32 | Kansas | 9.20 | -4.69% | 5.82% (33) |
10.39% (32) |
| 33 | Utah | 9.65 | -5.69% | 8.31% (45) |
10.26% (31) |
| 34 | Alabama | 9.72 | -4.88% | 3.48% (11) |
11.69% (37) |
| 35 | New Mexico | 9.96 | -9.64% | 5.75% (31) |
11.32% (36) |
| 36 | Missouri | 10.03 | -3.13% | 6.55% (38) |
11.13% (35) |
| 37 | Tennessee | 10.14 | -4.21% | 5.03% (27) |
11.74% (38) |
| 38 | South Dakota | 10.19 | -2.20% | 7.80% (43) |
11.03% (34) |
| 39 | Idaho | 10.83 | -6.92% | 4.96% (26) |
12.99% (44) |
| 40 | South Carolina | 10.85 | -6.68% | 5.82% (34) |
12.38% (40) |
| 41 | North Carolina | 11.26 | -5.51% | 5.77% (32) |
12.98% (43) |
| 42 | Arizona | 11.28 | -5.60% | 9.25% (47) |
11.94% (39) |
| 43 | Nevada | 11.42 | -11.20% | 8.00% (44) |
12.49% (41) |
| 44 | Alaska | 12.21 | -7.64% | 9.40% (48) |
13.25% (45) |
| 45 | Wyoming | 12.31 | -2.61% | 10.64% (49) |
12.88% (42) |
| 46 | Mississippi | 12.97 | -5.22% | 6.14% (36) |
15.33% (47) |
| 47 | Florida | 13.16 | -8.10% | 7.65% (41) |
14.64% (46) |
| 48 | Georgia | 13.41 | -6.29% | 7.41% (40) |
15.48% (48) |
| 49 | Oklahoma | 14.28 | -4.58% | 8.58% (46) |
16.28% (49) |
| 50 | Texas | 18.36 | -5.36% | 12.75% (50) |
20.47% (50) |
Source: WalletHub.com
