Affordable Health Insurance
Affordable Health Insurance
According to America’s Health Rankings, Georgia ranks 41st in the nation in terms of percentage of population lacking health insurance, with 17.7% of its population lacking health insurance.
When do you need to buy individual Georgia Health Insurance?
One needs to pursue individual health insurance if all of the following are true:
a) If your employer does not offer health insurance benefits
b) If you cannot be named as a dependent on another person’s insurance policy
c) If you are not a member of a professional or a trade organization that offers health insurance
Types of Health Insurance in Georgia
a) Indemnity Policies (Traditional Fee for Service Health Insurance)
Indemnity Policies offer tremendous freedom with respect to choice; one is free to visit any provider in Georgia for covered medical services.
b) Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
A Preferred Provider Organization provides a list of contracted providers; one receives the best services at the lowest cost if one restricts oneself to the limited list of providers in Georgia for their health insurance needs.
c) Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs or Managed Care)
HMOs require members to obtain their medical services from doctors and hospitals affiliated with the particular HMO in Georgia for their health insurance needs.
d) Self-Insured Health Plans
Large employers in Georgia often have self-insured health insurance plans where all contributing employees pool in their contributions to pay for the medical services for the members of the plan.
PeachCare for Uninsured Kids (Children’s Health Insurance)
PeachCare for Kids is a comprehensive health care program for uninsured children living in Georgia. The health benefits include primary, preventive, specialist, dental care and vision care.
State Health Benefit Plan
Provides health insurance coverage to state employees, school system employees, retirees and their dependents.
Georgia-COBRA
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is federal law that extends one’s current group health insurance under certain qualifying events such as termination of employment or reduction of hours to part-time status. To be eligible for COBRA, the employer needs to have more than 20 employees.
Georgia has a mini COBRA law that provides COBRA provisions for employers less than 20 employees and provides employees with ability to extend one’s group coverage for the remainder of the month and an additional 3 months under certain qualifying events such as termination of employment.
Resources for Health Care Insurance in Georgia
Georgetown University’s guide to Health Insurance in Georgia
Georgetown’s Health Policy Institute has researched and written state guides for buying affordable health insurance in every state.
US News Rankings for best commercially-available health plans. Rankings reflect member satisfaction and success in preventing and treating illness compared with other commercial plans. The highest possible score is 100.
The Facts of Georgia’s Healthcare
Georgiahealthinfo.gov provides access to the cost and quality of health care services in our state, as well as educational tools that provide information about a variety of health topics.
Health Care Advocacy Groups in Georgia
Georgia Association for Primary Health Care, Inc. (GAPHC)
Since its inception in 1979, GAPHC has engaged in a strong public advocacy agenda in support of its mission: to improve access to comprehensive primary health care services for all medically underserved Georgians.