There is a small group of people who cannot buy health insurance, regardless of the price. Usually it is because they do not get health insurance through their employer, and they have a medical condition that causes an insurance company to deny them coverage.

Individuals who enroll with a group plan through their employer cannot be denied regardless of their medical condition. However, if you are applying for an individual plan, an insurance carrier can deny your application because of poor health or a pre-existing medical condition. The only option for those individuals in Georgia would be a Georgia health insurance pool. However, Georgia has not yet set up a Georgia health insurance pool.

Georgia is one of only five states who not only does not have a Georgia health insurance pool, but also does not offer any other insurance options for those individuals with serious medical conditions. This is a big problem in Georgia, which has an estimated 1 million uninsured residents. Many of these residents would benefit from a Georgia health insurance pool.

How All Benefit from a Georgia Health Insurance Pool

There are thirty two states that offer health insurance pools to those who cannot get insurance any other way. Having a Georgia health insurance pool would benefit Georgia, because it guarantees that high risk individuals are covered by insurance, rather than having their medical expenses become a burden to the state’s economy. Uninsurable people would be grouped together in the Georgia health insurance pool. At this time, those who could afford health insurance but are denied do not have a Georgia health insurance pool option.

Therefore, when they require medical care, they may not be able to afford those bills. This then becomes a burden on the hospitals or physicians that provided the care. This eventually trickles down into higher medical charges for everyone else, because health insurance companies divide up their costs among their members.

A Georgia health insurance pool would reduce costs two ways. By helping provide information about assessing risk, there would be greater competition in the marketplace, which then drives down prices. Also, with a Georgia health insurance pool, coverage becomes more accessible, healthier people will get health insurance, which will then reduce expenses and reducing costs for everyone.

Because there is no Georgia health insurance pool, occasionally, sick people will try to gain employment, just to get group coverage. This means that the health insurance company may then need to raise premiums for everyone else to spread out their costs. Therefore, having a Georgia health insurance pool could stabilize prices for group health insurance plans.

There is very little opposition to a Georgia health insurance pool, and yet there is still a big need for a Georgia health insurance pool. The problem is the funding the Georgia health insurance pool. In order for the state to finance a Georgia health insurance pool, the Georgia government must learn from its predecessors and find a stable source for funding a Georgia health insurance pool. In some states, insurance companies that do business in the state are required to contribute to the pool. In Georgia, there are seven large insurance companies that would have to contribute to a Georgia health insurance pool. Is that enough?

Only time will tell. The idea of a Georgia health insurance pool originated in Minnesota in 1976. That was the first risk pool. Some risk pools do an excellent job of providing alternatives, while others do not, because they are unaffordable, or because they are not properly funded. We hope the Georgia health insurance pool will not require tax dollars for their operation, and will be a good alternative to those who are denied coverage.