10 worst and best states for healthcare access
With record healthcare costs and medical debt, the U.S. is infamous for its poor healthcare access — but the level of access can differ drastically from state to state.
Forbes Advisor used 14 metrics to compare all 50 states, examining factors like the number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents, the percentage of residents who lack health insurance, average annual deductibles for individual coverage and the number of community health centers per 100,000 residents. Each state was scored out of 100 points; the higher the score, the worse access.
“Our analysis revealed that five Western states rank among the top 10 states where healthcare is least accessible,” says Jason Metz, insurance analyst and lead editor at Forbes Advisor. “We hope our report will shed light on some of the greatest barriers to accessing healthcare in each state and the country at large.”
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Notably, Utah, Nevada and Arizona ranked in the top five worst states. Utah scored 100, having the third-lowest number of primary care physicians per 1,000 residents and third-lowest number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents in the country.
On the flip side, states that boasted the lowest scores — including Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island — tended to have the lowest percentages of uninsured residents and the highest number of primary care physicians. For example, Massachusetts scored 0 out of 100, with just 2.4% of residents without insurance and about 23 primary care physicians per 1,000 residents. For comparison, Utah has roughly 11 primary care physicians per 1,000 residents. Still, Metz encourages Americans to ensure they’re getting some kind of coverage, whether it’s an employer-provided health plan or a plan from the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
“No matter where you live, there’s a chance that you might face challenges to accessing healthcare,” says Metz. “When searching for health insurance coverage, it’s best to consider monthly premiums, out-of-pocket costs, in-network care, preventive care and coverage of prescription medications.”
Here are the 10 best and worst states for healthcare access, according to Forbes Advisor:
