The Best and Worst States for Health Care

Updated: June 26, 2024

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Access to health care services and the affordability of health insurance are crucial to overall health but vary widely across the United States. MoneyGeek analyzed a host of statistics, from health outcomes — such as preventable deaths and rates of certain diseases or risk factors — to health access and cost — such as how many people are uninsured and have low-cost health insurance options available — to find the best and worst states for health care in 2023.

KEY FINDINGS:
  • Hawaii is the top state for health care in the U.S. It has the best health outcomes in the country, with low preventable death (630 per 100,000 people), diabetes mortality and obesity rates. However, the state ranks fairly low for accessibility (No. 30).

  • Rhode Island is the second-best state for health care. Its residents enjoy convenient access to medical services, securing the No. 2 spot for accessibility.

  • West Virginia has the worst health care in the nation. Though West Virginia ranks No. 3 for accessibility, it has the worst health outcomes of any state, with the highest rate of preventable deaths (1,229 deaths per 100,000 residents) and diabetes mortalities. It also has the second-highest average private health insurance premiums ($11,472 per year) in the U.S.

  • Utah has the nation’s lowest overall health care costs but ranks No. 39 for accessibility. The state has the second-fewest primary care providers for every 100,000 residents.

  • New York is the most expensive state for health care. The state has the highest annual private health care premiums in the country (averaging almost $18,400), and government spending on health care is $7,820 per capita.

  • Virginia has the lowest annual private health insurance premiums of any state ($5,172, on average). The national average annual cost across all states in the U.S. is $7,549.

  • Massachusetts ranks No. 4 for overall health care. However, the state also has the highest rate of government health care spending in the U.S. at $9,320 per person. That’s nearly $3,600 more than the national average and nearly 12% of the state’s GDP.

States With the Best (and Worst) Health Care

Best US States for Health Care

The states with the best health care in the United States are those where people are generally healthier, have access to health care services and are less likely to be uninsured. The best states for health care are found all across the country, from Hawaii to Rhode Island. That said, six of the top 10 states on our list are located in the Northeast.

States that fare worse on our health care rankings tend to have higher costs for less access and higher rates of medical conditions like diabetes and obesity. The worst states for health care are concentrated regionally, with eight of the 10 clustered in the South and Southeast.

The Top 10 States for Health Care

State
Score
Region

1.

Hawaii

73.0

West

2.

Rhode Island

68.0

Northeast

3.

Iowa

67.7

Midwest

4.

Massachusetts

67.4

Northeast

5.

Minnesota

67.0

Midwest

6.

New Hampshire

66.9

Northeast

7.

Colorado

66.8

West

8.

Vermont

66.6

Northeast

9.

Connecticut

64.5

Northeast

10.

New Jersey

63.6

Northeast

The 10 Worst States for Health Care

State
Score
Region

1.

West Virginia

35.4

South

2.

Mississippi

42.1

South

3.

Alaska

44.2

West

4.

Louisiana

44.4

South

5.

Oklahoma

44.6

South

6.

New Mexico

45.2

West

7.

Tennessee

45.6

South

8.

Arkansas

46.6

South

9.

Kentucky

47.4

South

10.

Alabama

48.0

South

Additional Findings: Outcome, Cost and Access Data Rankings

To evaluate health care in the United States, MoneyGeek looked at three categories of data that together create a comprehensive view of the overall quality of health care in each location. Those categories include:

  • Health outcomes, including indicators such as rates of disease and risk factors like obesity and smoking, preventable deaths and infant mortality. These measures help answer the question: How healthy are the people who live here?

  • Cost, including factors like how much the state spends on health care and the average cost of private health insurance. These measures help answer the question: How expensive is health care in this state?

  • Access, including data on the number of primary care providers and hospital beds available, how many people are uninsured and how many people needed care but had difficulty getting it. These indicators help answer the question: How easy is it to get the health care you need in this state?

Within these three categories, we broke down the best and the worst states across a wide range of health care outcome, cost and access data points. Below is a summary of those findings, along with the best and worst states for each data point.

Deep Blue States Across the US Have the Healthiest Residents

Best States for Health Outcomes:
1. Hawaii
2. Vermont
3. Massachusetts
4. California
5. New Jersey
Worst States for Health Outcomes:
1. West Virginia
2. Mississippi
3. Louisiana
4. Kentucky
5. Arkansas

Southern States Have Highest Diabetes Mortality Rates

States With Fewest Diabetes Mortalities per 100,000 Residents:
1. Connecticut: 15.9
2. Massachusetts: 17.3
3. New Jersey: 17.6
4. Hawaii: 17.7
5. Vermont: 17.9
States With Most Diabetes Mortalities per 100,000 Residents:
1. West Virginia: 47.6
2. Mississippi: 42.1
3. Arkansas: 39.3
4. Louisiana: 35.7
5. Oklahoma: 35.1

West Virginia’s Preventable Death Rate Is Nearly Double Hawaii’s

States With the Lowest Rates of Preventable Deaths per 100,000 Residents:
1. Hawaii: 630
2. New York: 713
3. Massachusetts: 721
4. Connecticut: 725
5. New Jersey: 731
States With the Highest Rates of Preventable Deaths per 100,000 Residents:
1. West Virginia: 1,229
2. Mississippi: 1,205
3. Kentucky: 1,140
4. Alabama: 1,134
5. Tennessee: 1,121

Overall Affordability Is Worst in the Northeast

States With the Most Affordable Health Care
1. Utah
2. Virginia
3. Colorado
4. Mississippi
5. Georgia
States With the Least Affordable Health Care:
1. New York
2. Vermont
3. West Virginia
4. South Dakota
5. Massachusetts

States with Costliest Health Insurance Are Twice as Expensive as the 5 Cheapest States

States With Lowest Average Cost of Private Health Insurance:
1. Virginia: $5,172
2. Minnesota: $5,220
3. Maryland: $5,256
4. Kentucky: $5,316
5. Idaho: $5,424
States With Highest Average Cost of Private Health Insurance:
1. New York: $18,396
2. West Virginia: $11,472
3. Alaska: $10,584
4. Wyoming: $10,500
5. Vermont: $10,236

Access to Care Varies Widely Across Regions

Best States for Access to Care:
1. Iowa
2. Rhode Island
3. West Virginia
4. Ohio
5. Massachusetts
Worst States for Access to Care:
1. Nevada
2. Texas
3. New Mexico
4. Alaska
5. Arizona

Northeastern States Have the Lowest Uninsured Rates; Southern States Have the Highest

States With Lowest Uninsured Population Rate:
1. Massachusetts: 2.5%
2. Vermont: 3.6%
3. Hawaii: 3.9%
4. Rhode Island: 4.4%
5. Minnesota: 4.5%
States With Highest Uninsured Population Rate:
1. Texas: 18.0%
2. Oklahoma: 13.8%
3. Georgia: 12.6%
4. Wyoming: 12.1%
5 Florida: 12.1%

Northeast States Have Double the Primary Care Providers of Western States

States With the Most Primary Care Providers per 100,000 Residents:
1. Rhode Island: 258.5
2. Massachusetts: 233.4
3. New York: 226.1
4. Connecticut: 210.3
5. Pennsylvania: 203.5
States With the Fewest Primary Care Providers per 100,000 Residents:
1. Idaho: 97.9
2. Utah: 98.8
3. Nevada: 104.9
4. Montana: 108.5
5. Texas: 111.8

Expert Insights

Geographic variation in health care costs, access and outcomes is well documented. Some differences are due to local-level conditions and social determinants of health or non-medical factors that affect health, like advantage, isolation and opportunity. The drivers of variation are not predetermined and can be influenced through policy and practice.

MoneyGeek consulted health industry experts to understand some of the potential choices states can make — or are making — to affect their local health care systems for better and worse.

  1. States vary widely on quality, cost and access measures. To what do you attribute geographic variation in health outcomes and access?
  2. What could or should states with worse health outcomes and access do to improve health care for their residents?
  3. Are there principles or best practices for optimizing health spending to optimize outcomes (at the state level or otherwise)?
  4. Is there anything else you’d like to add about the general phenomenon of geographic variation in health care outcomes, access and cost?
Dr. Brandon Di Paolo Harrison
Dr. Brandon Di Paolo HarrisonAssistant Professor of Accounting at Austin Peay State University
Chunhuei Chi, Sc.D., MPH
Chunhuei Chi, Sc.D., MPHProfessor of Health Management and Policy, Professor in Global Health at Oregon State University
Raymond March, Ph.D.
Raymond March, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Economics at North Dakota State University
Reena Kelly, Ph.D., MHA
Reena Kelly, Ph.D., MHAAssistant Professor, Department of Population Health & Leadership, School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven
Allie Peckham, MSW, Ph.D.
Allie Peckham, MSW, Ph.D.Assistant Professor at Arizona State University
Tinglong Dai, Ph.D.
Tinglong Dai, Ph.D.Bernard T. Ferrari, Professor of Business at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
Tracey Brigman, Ed.D., M.S., RDN, LD
Tracey Brigman, Ed.D., M.S., RDN, LDClinical Associate Professor and Director at FACS Education Program at the University of Georgia
Rima Cohen
Rima CohenSpecial Advisor, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Cyrena Gawuga
Cyrena GawugaDirector of Research, Preparedness & Treatment Equity Coalition
Jay Bhatt
Jay BhattExecutive Director, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions

Full Data Set

The data points presented are defined as follows:

Rank: Based on the “Final Score” ranging from 1-100

Final Score: Cumulative total of Outcome, Cost and Access scores

  1. Outcome Factor Rank: Based on cumulative scores across the following factors:
    • Infant mortality rate: The number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births
    • Preventable death rate: Deaths that can be avoided through effective preventative health care and interventions per 100,000 residents
    • Diabetes mortality rate: Deaths attributed to diabetes per 100,000 residents
    • Obesity: Percentage of population considered obese
    • Smoking rate: Percentage of adults who reported smoking
    • Life expectancy: The average number of years a person can expect to live
    • Suicide rates: Suicide deaths among persons age 12 and over per 100,000 residents
    • New HIV cases per 100,000 residents over the age of 13
    • Opioid-related hospital stay rate: Inpatient hospital stays involving opioid-related diagnoses per 100,000 residents
  2. Cost Factor Rank: Based on cumulative scores across the following factors:
    • Health care spending as a percentage of state GDP: Government spending on health care and social assistance out of total state GDP
    • State government spending on health care and social assistance per resident
    • Average annual private health insurance premium costs
  3. Access Factor Rank: Based on cumulative score across the following factors:
    • Number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents
    • Number of primary care providers per 100,000 residents
    • Primary care provider shortage areas (HPSAs) by state: Designations that identify areas of the U.S. experiencing health care professional shortages
    • Percentage of population with access to any insurance versus just health insurance
    • Ease of access to care at the doctor’s office or clinic using Medicare
    • Ease of access to care at a specialist using Medicare
State
Rank
Final Score
Outcome Factor Rank (1st = Best)
Cost Factor Rank (1st = Lowest)
Access Factor Rank (1st = Best)

Hawaii

1

73.0

1

18

30

Rhode Island

2

68.0

10

40

2

Iowa

3

67.7

15

13

1

Massachusetts

4

67.4

3

46

5

Minnesota

5

67.0

11

35

6

New Hampshire

6

66.9

9

30

11

Colorado

7

66.8

8

3

33

Vermont

8

66.6

2

49

13

Methodology

To explore and rank health care quality by state, MoneyGeek analyzed three core categories — health outcomes, cost and access to care — using health care data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and HealthData.gov. We assigned weights to each factor within these core categories to measure health care quality.

MoneyGeek used the following metrics in our analysis:

  • Preventable death rate: Full weight
  • Infant mortality rate: Full weight
  • Life expectancy: Half weight
  • Diabetes mortalities per 100,000 people: Half weight
  • Obesity as a percentage of the population: Half weight
  • Hospital inpatient stays involving opioid-related diagnoses per 100,00 people: Quarter weight
  • Smoking rate among adults: Quarter weight
  • Suicide deaths among persons ages 12 and older per 100,000 people: Quarter weight
  • New HIV cases among persons ages 13 and older per 100,000 people: Quarter weight
  • Annual health insurance costs: Full weight
  • Health care spending as a percentage of state GDP: Half weight
  • Health care spending as a share of GDP per resident: Half weight
  • Percentage of population with health insurance: Full weight
  • Number of hospital beds per 100,000 people: Half weight
  • Adults who had a doctor's office or clinic visit in the last 12 months and needed care, tests, or treatment who sometimes or never found it easy to get the care, tests, or treatment, Medicare fee-for-service: Quarter weight
  • Adults who needed to see a specialist in the last six or 12 months who sometimes or never found it easy to see a specialist, Medicare fee-for-service: Quarter weight
  • Primary care health professional shortage areas: % of need met to remove shortage designation: Quarter weight
  • Number of primary care providers per 100,000 population: Quarter weight

About Deb Gordon


Deb Gordon headshot

Deb Gordon, the co-founder and CEO of Umbra Health Advocacy, has held executive roles in health insurance and health care technology services. She authored a book titled “The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto,” based on her research as a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government. Her works have been published on JAMA Network Open, Harvard Business Review blog, USA Today and RealClear Politics, among others.

Gordon is an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow and an Eisenhower Fellow. She was a 2011 Boston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree and a volunteer at MIT’s Delta V start-up accelerator, the Fierce Healthcare Innovation Awards. She earned her bioethics degree from Brown University and her MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.


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