In Hamilton County, where median household income is $46,505, 46 percent of the population could qualify for government assistance in paying for health insurance premiums under health reform, according to estimates based on the most recent U.S. census data.
Meanwhile in Walker County, Ga., the figure is closer to 55 percent of the population who could get subsidies or credits to buy insurance. There, the median household income is $39,123.
Local health providers and consumers still are trying to get a handle on the real-life effects of health care reform and how incentives included in the reform package will play out among business owners and individuals weighing whether and how to buy health coverage.
Projections based on the thresholds for federal subsidies or the expansion of government programs such as Medicaid can provide some indicator of what the insurance landscape will look like in 2014, such as who will decide to buy coverage with the help of subsidies and who will opt to forgo coverage and pay an annual penalty.
But many contemplating the changes in the local business and health care industry are resigned to taking a wait-and-see approach.