Healthcare Access Study Ranks Best, Worst States

Using data drawn from 17 national sources, researchers assess states based on the ability of their healthcare sectors to provide access to high-value medical services.

Minnesota leads the nation in delivery of healthcare services based on cost, access and health outcomes, while Alaska ranks last based on these metrics, according to a study released this week by WalletHub, a personal finance site.

The study applied 29 healthcare metrics split into three equally weighted categories: cost, access and health outcomes. Cost is the most concentrated survey category, with four metrics: cost of a medical visit, cost of a dental visit, average monthly insurance premium, and out-of-pocket medical spending for Americans under 65.

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Data for the study was drawn from 17 government, nonprofit, and private sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, eHealthInsurance, and Kaiser Family Foundation.

Top States for Healthcare Delivery

States total healthcare scores were ranked on a scale of 1 to 100, with Minnesota earning the top honor:

1. Minnesota, 67.37
2. Maryland, 64.36
3. South Dakota, 63.98
4. Iowa, 63.89
5. Utah, 63.85
6. Kansas, 63.16
7. Hawaii, 62.71
8. Vermont, 62.44
9. District of Columbia, 61.56
10. Nebraska, 60.95

Minnesota scored well across all three metrics categories, placing 11^th nationally in healthcare costs, sixth in healthcare access and third in health outcomes. Maryland ranked first in healthcare costs, but The Old Line State's total score was deflated by ranking 19^th in healthcare access and 29^th in health outcomes.

In other top honors, Hawaii ranked first in health outcomes, and the District of Columbia ranked first in healthcare access.

The country's most rural and economically disadvantaged states dominate the field that posted the worst total scores in the WalletHub study:

42. Alabama, 49.49
43. South Carolina, 48.80
44. Oklahoma, 48.76
45. West Virginia, 48.39
46. Georgia, 47.69
47. Arkansas, 46.20
48. Nevada, 45.86
49. Mississippi, 43.98
50. Louisiana, 42.05
51. Alaska, 39.56

View all rankings.

In addition to posting the worst total score, Alaska ranked worst in the country for healthcare costs. Louisiana ranked worst for health outcomes, and Hawaii ranked worst for healthcare access.

Overall Rankings

The WalletHub study shows states that have expanded Medicaid under provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act appear to have a healthcare edge over states that have resisted Medicaid expansion, which increases the number of low-income adults who are eligible for the program.

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Among the top 25 ranked states in the study, 17 have embraced Medicaid expansion. Among the bottom 25 ranked states, 13 have enacted Medicaid expansion.