Brandon, a physician assistant with Starland Family Practice, spends one a day week at the local urgent care clinic, where he sees many patients who are uninsured.
Brandon often sees patients coming into the urgent care clinic who have chronic conditions, but because they don’t have access to insurance, they have difficulty managing their health. These challenges are especially acute with his diabetes patients : “Patients without coverage might have to figure out how to pay for insulin or how to pay their rent – they often can’t do both.” And when patients cannot manage their diabetes, they can face long-term consequences like kidney disease, vision loss and amputations.
“Our patients need coverage,” Brandon said. But without access to Medicaid, thousands of low-income adults in Georgia remain uninsured. Without insurance, people are left without access to primary care, prescription drug coverage and disease management programs that could improve their health and quality of life.