COLUMBUS, Ga. - About 11.1% of Columbus residents have no health insurance, according to Census Bureau estimates, while 33.1% rely on an employer plan as their only coverage, 16.3% rely on Medicaid or similar public coverage alone and 5.5% rely on military coverage alone. That makes Columbus look different from Georgia and the nation in who pays for care, with fewer people on job-based plans and more on public and military coverage. The percentages are Columbus Times calculations, our division of the Census counts by the population the table covers.

All figures come from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, Table B27010, "Types of Health Insurance Coverage by Age," for Columbus city. We pulled them through Census Reporter on Nov. 3, 2026. The table covers the civilian noninstitutionalized population, which is 194,146 people in Columbus, with a margin of error of plus or minus 569.

These are not current numbers. The data period is 2020 through 2024, so it predates the 2026 marketplace subsidy changes. Think of it as a local baseline before the 2027 plan choices, not a count of who is insured today.

How many Columbus residents are uninsured?

The ACS estimates that 21,545 people in Columbus have no health coverage, which is 11.1% of the 194,146 people in the table. By comparison, Georgia's rate is 12.4% (1,329,511 people) and the U.S. rate is 8.4% (27,734,911 people), both from ACS Table B27010. Columbus therefore sits slightly below the state and about 2.7 percentage points above the national figure.

The uninsured count is the sum of four age groups: 2,409 people under 19, 9,023 people ages 19 to 34, 9,989 people ages 35 to 64 and 124 people 65 and older. Added together, those rows equal the 21,545 total. The percentages in this story are our own arithmetic from those counts.

Like all survey results, these are estimates and not exact head counts. The adult uninsured figures carry margins of error of about 956 people for ages 19 to 34 and 1,156 people for ages 35 to 64. Small gaps between Columbus and another area should not be read as firm differences.

Which ages are most likely to lack coverage?

Young adults stand out. In Columbus, 9,023 of 41,438 people ages 19 to 34 are uninsured, or 21.8%. Georgia's rate for the same age group is also 21.8%, according to ACS Table B27010, so the local figure matches the state rather than exceeding it.

Among people ages 35 to 64, 9,989 of 70,032 lack coverage, or 14.3%, compared with 15.0% for Georgia in the same table. Children and older residents are far less likely to be uninsured. Under 19, the rate is 4.5% (2,409 of 53,373) against 6.9% for Georgia, and at 65 and older it is 0.4% (124 of 29,303) against 1.0% for Georgia.

The table shows these gaps but does not explain them. It records who has coverage and what type, not why a group does or does not. Readers should treat the age pattern as a description of the estimates and not as a finding about cause.

How many get coverage only through an employer?

The largest single category is employer-based coverage as a person's only coverage. An estimated 64,339 Columbus residents fall in this group, or 33.1%, which is roughly 1 in 3. Georgia's share is 44.2% and the U.S. share is 45.6%, both from ACS Table B27010, so Columbus is well below each.

The word "only" matters here. Each coverage type in this story counts people who have that kind of coverage and nothing else. People with two or more types, such as an employer plan plus another policy, are left out of these percentages, and the table counts 45,080 Columbus residents, or 23.2%, in the two-or-more-types rows.

Because of that, the "only" percentages do not add up to 100%. The shares for employer, Medicaid, military and direct-purchase coverage describe separate slices, and some residents sit in none of them. That is a feature of how the Census table is built and not an error in the numbers.

Where does Medicaid fit?

Medicaid and other means-tested public coverage, as the only coverage, applies to an estimated 31,708 Columbus residents, or 16.3%, about 1 in 6. Georgia's share is 12.7% and the U.S. share is 15.0%, according to ACS Table B27010. Columbus is above both comparisons.

The difference is larger among children. In Columbus, 21,420 of 53,373 children under 19 have Medicaid or similar coverage alone, which is 40.1%. For Georgia, the same table shows 956,307 of 2,696,993 children, or 35.5%.

These counts exclude children who have Medicaid along with another type of coverage. They also describe the 2020-2024 period and not any month of 2026. The table does not say why the Columbus share is higher.

What about military coverage?

TRICARE and other military coverage as the only coverage reaches an estimated 10,724 Columbus residents, or 5.5%. Georgia's share is 1.4% and the U.S. share is 0.9%, according to ACS Table B27010. Columbus is several times higher than either one.

Among children under 19, 5,611 have military coverage alone, which is 10.5% of the 53,373 children in the table. Fort Benning is nearby, and a link between the installation and these numbers is plausible. The Census table, however, does not state a cause, so we are not asserting one.

What about people who buy their own plan?

Direct-purchase coverage as the only coverage, which includes marketplace and individual plans, covers an estimated 9,557 Columbus residents, or 4.9%. Georgia's share is 6.9% and the U.S. share is 6.4%, according to ACS Table B27010. Columbus is below both.

This figure cannot tell readers how many people are enrolled through Georgia Access today. The estimates cover 2020 through 2024 and predate the 2026 subsidy changes. They offer a starting point, and later data will show whether the local picture has shifted.

What about older residents and Medicare?

For people 65 and older, the table counts 8,010 Columbus residents who have Medicare as their only coverage. Another 20,675 people in that age group have two or more types of coverage, for example Medicare plus an employer plan or Medicare plus Medicaid. Those residents do not appear in the Medicare-only count.

This helps explain why the uninsured rate for people 65 and older is just 0.4%. Most older residents hold at least one type of coverage, and many hold more than one. The Census table does not say which combinations are most common.

What to know

No local or state official was quoted for this story. The numbers come directly from the Census table, and the table does not explain the patterns it shows. Any reader who wants context on local coverage should look to the agencies and plans involved.

• Source: 2020-2024 ACS 5-year estimates, Table B27010, Columbus city, via Census Reporter
• Uninsured: 21,545 people, 11.1% (Georgia 12.4%, U.S. 8.4%, ACS Table B27010)
• Most uninsured age group: Ages 19 to 34, 21.8%
• Employer plan only: 33.1% (Georgia 44.2%, U.S. 45.6%)
• Medicaid or public coverage only: 16.3% (Georgia 12.7%, U.S. 15.0%)
• Military coverage only: 5.5% (Georgia 1.4%, U.S. 0.9%)
• Direct purchase only: 4.9% (Georgia 6.9%, U.S. 6.4%)
• Georgia Access contact center during open enrollment: Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sat 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Residents shopping for a 2027 plan can start at georgiaaccess.gov, where the state marketplace says open enrollment is under way. Comparing a plan with the local numbers above will not pick one for you, but it shows how common each kind of coverage is in Columbus. For help choosing, the contact center hours above apply during open enrollment. Georgia Access says coverage begins Jan. 1, 2027, for consumers who select a plan by Dec. 15, 2026.