PHIC is not just a coalition of hospitals, but a collection of highly skilled “children’s hospitals” that are focused on improving care across the state of Georgia.

PHIC was formed to foster greater statewide collaboration between Georgia’s children hospitals, advocate for improved pediatric care statewide, particularly regarding Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids, and to advise local/regional clinically integrated pediatric networks. The main goal of PHIC is to improve the quality of healthcare delivery to patients.

Georgia is home to more than 10 million people, making it the ninth most populous state in the U.S. and the third most populous state in the South, after Texas and Florida. Much of Georgia is rural, including 37 of the state’s 159 counties that are part of the Appalachian region. However, a majority of the state’s population (87%) lives in metropolitan areas. Georgia’s three most populous counties (Fulton, Gwinnett, and Cobb) account for over one-quarter (26%) of the state population. Still, there are more than two million rural residents in Georgia.

As in other states, most Georgians are covered by private health insurance. As of 2012, nearly six in ten (58%) were covered under an employer plan or on the individual private market. One in five Georgians (20%) are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), also known in Georgia as PeachCare for Kids. Medicaid and CHIP help to fill gaps in the availability of private coverage, mostly for children, since Medicaid eligibility for adults has historically been limited to parents with very low incomes. As of 2012, four in ten Georgian children (40%) were enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, compared to about one in ten nonelderly adults (11%).

But it’s not just about coverage…access to comprehensive, quality care is what PHIC is concerned with. As a bona fide nonprofit working independently to improve healthcare outcomes, we are constantly looking at innovative ways to deliver care, as well as cutting-edge technologies that allow this delivery. We are not lobbyists, and we are not replacing other existing entities; we’re an agent for change that will support all Georgia residents, especially children.