These are the best and worst states for health care

WalletHub’s top states for healthcare are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Hawaii, Maryland, Vermont, Colorado, Iowa, Connecticut, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and Maine.

At the bottom of healthcare is Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Wyoming, West Virginia, Nevada, Missouri, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Arizona.

Massachusetts, which ranked first overall, also ranked first in access and outcomes. It also has the highest percentage of insured children and insured adults while also ranking in the top five for lowest infant mortality rate and lowest percentage of adults with no dental visit in the past year.

There also seems to be an impact by the Medicaid expansion. Out of the 12 states that have not adopted the expansion, nine are ranked at the bottom in terms of overall health care. Out of the states with the highest uninsured rates for both children and adults, a majority are not Medicaid expansion states.

Utah has the lowest average monthly insurance premium, followed by Idaho, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Minnesota. Meanwhile, Alabama has the highest premiums with Louisiana, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Vermont rounding out the top five.

Access is extremely important in other ways outside of social programs. Despite being the second- and third-most populous states in the nation, both Texas and Florida ranked in the bottom 10 for access.

Meanwhile, despite its relatively small population, D.C., ranked 13th overall, stood out in several key areas:

The nation’s capital has the most hospital beds per capita, the most physicians per capita, and the most dentists per capita. 

It’s also among the top five for the highest percentage of insured children aged 0 to 18 and insured adults aged 19 to 64, and for the lowest percentage of adults with no dental visit in the past year.

 

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