The General Assembly finds and declares that a large proportion of school-aged children in Georgia do not currently have access to adequate medical treatment and, further, that this lack of access can hinder a child's ability to reach his or her full physical and educational potential. The General Assembly further finds that federal funding made available to the states under Title XXI of the federal Social Security Act may be used to administer programs to provide such coverage. The General Assembly further finds the provision of adequate medical coverage for this population to be in the public interest and further declares the establishment of the program pursuant to this article to be a desirable and economical means of increasing access to such medical coverage.
(Code 1981, §49-5-271, enacted by Ga. L. 1998, p. 623, § 1.)