12 Worst States for Health Care: 2024

Americans need affordable, quality health care, but many are hard put to find good care at a price they can afford, according to a recent report from the personal finance website WalletHub. The average annual health care outlay for Americans is currently around $13,500, which is prohibitive for those who already struggle financially because of debt and inflation. Moreover, the quality of care in the U.S. lags behind that of many other wealthy nations. "The best health care in the nation isn't helpful if it bankrupts the people who try to get it, and cheap health care isn't worth paying for if it provides subpar or ineffective treatment," WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said in a statement. Conditions are not uniform around the country, however. Happe noted that the best states for health care not only make high-quality care affordable, but also provide many options for doctors and make insurance easily accessible. The worst states fall down in these critical areas. To determine what kind of health care Americans across the country can expect, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia these dimensions:

• Cost, including cost of medical visit, average monthly insurance premium and share of adults with no doctor visits because of cost
• Access, including physicians, geriatricians and nurse practitioners per capita; Medicaid acceptance rates among physicians; share of insured adults and children; and status of state ACA innovation waivers
• Outcomes, including maternal, infant and child mortality rates; share of at-risk adults with no routine doctor visits in past 2 years; and share of children with medical and dental preventive care visits in past year

Researchers evaluated those dimensions using 44 relevant metrics, and graded each one on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best health care at the most reasonable cost. See the gallery for the 12 worst states for health care. (Credit: Adobe Stock)