The Best (& Worst) States for Healthcare

by | Aug 21, 2018 | Healthcare | 0 comments

In a 2017 survey, the Centers for Disease Control reported that 88.1% of the American population has a primary care physician or a fixed provider for medical care. Despite these impressive numbers, the United States falls behind on significant healthcare measures. Nationwide statistics such as this are few and far in between for Americans, as the variances from state to state create large gaps when it comes to examining healthcare spending, accessibility, and outcomes. The United States is notorious for hemorrhaging money when it comes to healthcare, but the outcomes and life expectancy of the population tells a more important narrative: the system is broken, and more money certainly does not equate to improved health.

The lack of uniformity has led to some interesting observations on which Americans have better access, better ROI, and better health. WalletHub recently published a ranking of all fifty states, plus the District of Columbia to determine which regions spend the most, have the best access to care, and who has the best outcomes. Some of the results may shock you while others…definitely won’t. To see where your state stacks up against the rest, check out this complete breakdown of scores.

Top 5 Overall

  1. Vermont
  2. Massachusetts
  3. New Hampshire
  4. Minnesota
  5. Hawaii

Bottom 5 Overall

  1. Louisiana
  2. Mississippi
  3. Alaska
  4. Arkansas
  5. North Carolina

Top 5 in Cost

  1. District of Columbia
  2. Maryland
  3. Vermont
  4. Rhode Island
  5. Hawaii

Bottom 5 in Cost

  1. Alaska
  2. North Carolina
  3. South Carolina
  4. Louisiana
  5. Wisconsin

Studies such as these are an invaluable resource to the healthcare community, especially to those organizations like Advize who are working to reduce the cost of healthcare without sacrificing quality and access. By identifying the areas for improvement (and there are a lot of them!) we can all begin to strategize methods for driving costs down, while raising positive outcomes up. The importance of understanding the methodology and the variables taken into consideration cannot be overlooked. When we breakdown the healthcare machine cog by cog, we can commit ourselves to treating the illness, not just the symptoms.

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