The Worst States for Health Care in the US: 2023
Get a quick look at the US worst states for health care ranked using a composite score that included measures of cost, access, and outcomes.
Health care in the US can be expensive, however, high medical costs do not always translate to better results. According to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the US falls behind several other wealthy nations on health coverage, life expectancy, and disease burden.
Health care conditions are not the same across the US, which is why a recent WalletHub study examined in which states Americans are more likely to get the worst health care. The study compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 44 measures of cost, accessibility, and outcome. Considered were factors including hospital beds and physicians per capita, share of insured adults and children, cancer incidence rate, and more.
Highest average monthly insurance premium:
Wyoming & West Virginia (tie)
Best vs worst state: 3x difference (Utah vs West Virginia)
Fewest hospital beds per capita:
Utah
Best vs worst state: 4x difference (District of Columbia vs Utah)
Fewest physicians per capita:
Idaho
Best vs worst state: 7x difference (District of Columbia vs Idaho)
Fewest dentists per capita:
Tennessee
Best vs worst state: 4x difference (District of Columbia vs Tennessee)
Lowest % of medical residents retained:
District of Columbia
Best vs worst state: 5x difference (California vs District of Columbia)
Lowest % of insured adults aged 19-64 years:
Texas
Lowest % of insured children aged ≤18 years:
Texas
Highest infant mortality rate:
Mississippi
Best vs worst state: 3x difference (North Dakota vs Mississippi)
Highest cancer rate:
Kentucky
Highest stroke & heart disease rate:
West Virginia
Highest % of at-risk adults without a routine MD visit in the past 2 years:
California
Best vs worst state: 2x difference (Mississippi vs California)
Highest % of adults without a dental visit in the past year:
Arkansas
Best vs worst state: 2x difference (Rhode Island vs Arkansas)
