The Top (and Bottom) 5 States in the Nation for Health Care

As COVID-19 vaccines continue to roll out across the country, health care remains a primary worry for most Americans. Consumers for Quality Care surveyed 1,200 registered voters in late January and found several demographics shared similar concerns: Receiving surprise bills, undergoing low-quality care that would lead to complications, and needing to delay care because of high out-of-pocket expenses. "Americans are overwhelmingly concerned about being able to afford health care in this country," the report's authors wrote, "and the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis and its resulting economic pain has only heightened this anxiety, especially when it comes to deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs." Some states, however, are meeting their citizens' health needs better than others, as the latest report from U.S. News reveals. For the rankings, states were measured by quality of care, overall health of the population, and access to care. U.S. News also weighed several other factors, including percentage of adults without health insurance and the number of preventable hospital admissions. Additionally, the report took into consideration general physical and mental health measures related to rates of smoking, obesity and suicide. See our slideshow above for the top and bottom states for health care, and click here for the full report.