- Which Georgia Counties Have The Best Mental Health Care?
- Most Georgia Hospitals Don’t Comply With Federal Price Listing Rule Until Fined
- UnitedHealth Is Strategically Limiting Access to Critical Treatment for Kids With Autism
- Poor Health: Georgia’s High Rate of Early Births Earns State a Grade of F
- Poor Health: Georgia Named Worst State for Healthcare
- Poor Health: How is Georgia Addressing The State’s Mental Health Woes?
- Poor Health: Georgia Ranks 48th in The Nation in Health Quality
- Governor Kemp’s Plan for Better Health Coverage in Georgia
- Georgia Again Scrapes Bottom of The Barrel in Women’s Health
- How Will Lawmakers Respond to Georgia’s Health Care Crisis in 2025
Georgians face some of the nation’s worst health care challenges, with the state ranking 48th overall in a new national study examining cost, access and quality of medical services.
🏥 Why It Matters: Nearly half of Georgia adults lack health insurance, and residents struggle to find doctors and hospital beds when they need care most.
📊 What’s Happening: WalletHub’s 2025 health care rankings reveal Georgia’s systemic problems across multiple areas.
- Only Mississippi and Alabama ranked lower for overall health care
- Georgia has the second-worst rate of uninsured adults in the nation at 49th place
🔍 Between the Lines: The state shows mixed results that highlight deeper structural issues.
- Georgians pay relatively reasonable insurance premiums, ranking 22nd nationally
- But they face severe shortages of medical professionals and hospital capacity once they try to use that coverage
⚡ Catch Up Quick: The average American spends nearly $14,600 yearly on personal health care, making state-level differences crucial for family budgets.
- New Hampshire topped the rankings with low costs and high-quality care
- Southern states dominated the bottom of the list
🌍 The Big Picture: Georgia’s poor showing reflects broader challenges facing health care in 2025. Experts warn that potential cuts to Medicaid and marketplace subsidies could worsen access problems, particularly in states like Georgia that haven’t expanded Medicaid. The state’s ability to retain medical residents ranks better at 16th nationally, suggesting some hope for future improvement if systemic barriers to care can be addressed.
🩺 Take Action: Georgia’s healthcare system won’t improve unless residents demand it. As a “business-friendly” state, Georgia often prioritizes the needs of businesses over patients — and that leaves many families behind. If you want better, tell your state lawmakers to invest in rural hospitals, expand access to care, and support programs that help mothers and children thrive.
The Sources: WalletHub 2025 Best & Worst States for Health Care report, expert commentary from Michael Stowe (University of St. Francis), Nancy Chun Feng (Suffolk University), Keith A. Joiner (University of Arizona), and Aleta Ostlund (California State University, Long Beach).
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
