Georgia ranked 45th in the country for children’s health care, according to a new report from WalletHub, a personal-finance company. The report covered all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
What’s Happening: WalletHub graded each state on 33 measures, including how many children are in good health, how many doctors are available, vaccination rates, and whether families can afford care. Georgia’s single worst score was for how many young children have received all their recommended vaccines.
The Numbers: Here is where Georgia landed across individual measures:
- 43rd: infant death rate
- 42nd: share of uninsured children
- 42nd: share of overweight children
- 40th: share of children with medical bills their families cannot afford
- 33rd: share of children in excellent or very good health
- 33rd: number of pediatricians and family doctors per 100,000 residents
- 30th: share of obese children
- 27th: share of children with excellent or very good teeth
- 48th: share of children ages 19 to 35 months who have received all recommended vaccines
The Cost of Poor Healthcare: Families who get health coverage through an employer pay an average of $6,850 per year out of their own pocket toward that coverage, according to WalletHub.
For Comparison: Massachusetts ranked first overall. Just 1.6% of children there lack health insurance, the lowest rate in the country. Massachusetts also ranked third lowest for infant deaths and second lowest for deaths among children ages 14 and under.
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.
