Best and Worst States for Healthcare

Residents of Texas are six times more likely to be without health insurance than residents of Massachusetts. Infant mortality rates are at least twice as high in 13 states than in Vermont, and Georgia has the worst rate of child immunization in the country.

It’s no surprise that healthcare in the U.S. has become a critical issue. Costs and insurance premiums continue to rise, many Americans end up in debt from medical bills, and healthcare access is limited to millions of people. 

The differences vary across state lines. The average cost of a day of hospital inpatient care is three times as high in Oregon than in Montana, and doctors’ offices in Idaho are more understaffed than anywhere else in the nation, according to a study by MoneyRates.

To rank all 50 states and D.C., personal finance site MoneyRates analyzed eight factors using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kaiser Family Foundation. The categories were:

 • Health insurance coverage

 • Adequacy of nursing care staffing

 • Self-reported health status

 • Adequacy of medical office staffing

 • Child immunization coverage

 • Hospital affordability

 • Infant mortality rates

 • Health insurance affordability

MoneyRates ranked each category and then based the overall rankings on the average of rankings across all categories.

Based on their study, these are the best and worst states for healthcare.

Best States for Health Care

1. Massachusetts

 • Condition: Robust (top 20%)

 • Child immunization rank: 1 (out of 50 states and D.C.)

 • Infant survival rank: 3 (out of 50 states and D.C.)

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 48 (out of 50 states and D.C.)

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 6 (out of 50 states and D.C.)

Massachusetts has a high rate of health insurance coverage and child immunization, but is one of the 10 most expensive states for both hospital stays and health insurance premiums.

2. Connecticut

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 10

 • Infant survival rank: 10

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 46

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 3

Connecticut’s biggest weakness is being among the most expensive for health insurance.

3. North Dakota

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 4

 • Infant survival rank: 33

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 21

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 21

North Dakota also ranked No. 1 for its high ratio of nursing care staffing.

4. Iowa

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 17

 • Infant survival rank: 24

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 32

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 33

Iowa is in the top 10 for the percentage of population with insurance coverage, nursing care staffing and affordability of hospitalization.

5. Vermont

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 15

 • Infant survival rank: 1

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 41

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 36

Vermont is in the top 10 for a high percentage of the population with health insurance coverage, as well as a high number of residents who reported their health status to be better than "fair" or "poor."

6. Nebraska

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 5

 • Infant survival rank: 27

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 37

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 28

Nebraska’s biggest weak point is a rating of “frail” for health insurance affordability.

7. Rhode Island

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 14

 • Infant survival rank: 17

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 43

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 22

Rhode Island is one of the 10 most expensive states for health insurance premiums, but has high rankings for nursing home staffing and health insurance coverage. 

8. Minnesota

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 49

 • Infant survival rank: 13

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 31

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 34

Though near the bottom for child immunization, Minnesota is in the top 10 for health status, health insurance coverage and nursing care staffing.

9. South Dakota (tie)

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 2

 • Infant survival rank: 42

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 1

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 2

9. Tennessee (tie)

 • Condition: Robust

 • Child immunization rank: 12

 • Infant survival rank: 11

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 42

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 47

11. New Hampshire

 • Condition: Healthy (the next 20%, below ‘robust’)

 • Child immunization rank: 3

 • Infant survival rank: 2

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 47

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 38

12. District of Columbia

 • Condition: Healthy

 • Child immunization rank: 15

 • Infant survival rank: 39

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 45

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 5

13. Maryland

 • Condition: Healthy

 • Child immunization rank: 11

 • Infant survival rank: 35

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 26

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 10

14. Kansas

 • Condition: Healthy

 • Child immunization rank: 33

 • Infant survival rank: 25

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 10

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 30

15. Virginia

 • Condition: Healthy

 • Child immunization rank: 6

 • Infant survival rank: 23

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 20

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 23

Worst States for Healthcare

51. South Carolina

 • Condition: Critical (bottom 20%)

 • Child immunization rank: 50

 • Infant survival rank: 38

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 27

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 44

South Carolina ends up the worst state for healthcare in the country in this survey, due to bottom-10 rankings in child immunization, nursing care staffing and doctors' office staffing.

50. Alaska

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 33

 • Infant survival rank: 14

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 51

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 31

The most expensive state for health insurance premiums, Alaska also ranks among the worst 10 states for number of people with of health insurance coverage, nursing care staffing and affordability of hospitalization.

49. New Mexico

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 20

 • Infant survival rank: 30

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 18

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 49

New Mexico was also in the bottom 10 for self-reported health status, meaning a low percentage of the population reported their health status to be better than "fair" or "poor."

48. Oklahoma

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 44

 • Infant survival rank: 45

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 19

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 43

Though this state was rated as "healthy" in three categories, it landed in the bottom 10 in all five remaining categories: health insurance coverage, reported health status, child immunization, infant survival and doctors' office staffing.

47. Georgia

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 51

 • Infant survival rank: 45

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 33

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 16

46. Arizona

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 45

 • Infant survival rank: 15

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 8

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 35

45. Idaho

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 37

 • Infant survival rank: 22

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 7

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 51

44. Texas

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 42

 • Infant survival rank: 18

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 17

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 29

Texas has the highest percentage of residents without health insurance. It’s also in the bottom 10 for reported health status and child immunization.

43. North Carolina

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 26

 • Infant survival rank: 41

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 12

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 40

41. Mississippi (tie)

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 12

 • Infant survival rank: 40

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 40

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 37

41. West Virginia (tie)

 • Condition: Critical

 • Child immunization rank: 39

 • Infant survival rank: 50

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 3

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 41

40. Nevada

 • Condition: Frail (the 20% above ‘critical’)

 • Child immunization rank: 21

 • Infant survival rank: 20

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 4

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 46

39. Ohio

 • Condition: Frail

 • Child immunization rank: 46

 • Infant survival rank: 44

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 34

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 11

38. Indiana

 • Condition: Frail

 • Child immunization rank: 47

 • Infant survival rank: 43

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 29

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 8

37. Montana

 • Condition: Frail

 • Child immunization rank: 48

 • Infant survival rank: 21

 • Healthcare premium affordability rank: 38

 • Staffing of doctors relative to population (rank): 32

See the full ranking and compare states at Moneyrates.com