Ranking best, worst states for healthcare

Editor's Note

Forbes Advisor released a ranking of the best and worst states for healthcare based on 24 metrics and four key categories: healthcare access, outcomes, cost, and quality of hospital care, Forbes October 13 reports. The article also noted that as many as 70% of Americans are unsatisfied with their healthcare system, according to a recent Harris Poll survey.

Some highlights include:

• Georgia was found to be the worst state for healthcare based on factors such as lack of residents with health insurance (12.63%), kidney disease mortality rate (18.87 deaths per 100,000 state residents), and stroke mortality rate (44.27 deaths per 100,000 state residents).
• Minnesota was found to be the best for factors such as low rates of flu and pneumonia deaths  (7.03 per 100,000 state residents) and kidney disease deaths (7.37 per 100,000 state residents) and quality of hospital care.
• The South has 7 of the 10 worst states for healthcare–including Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas.
• The northeast has 7 of the 10 best states for healthcare–including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Pennsylvania.

In looking at specific categories, North Carolina ranked worst for healthcare costs, and Utah ranked as the worst state for healthcare access. Rhode Island ranked best for healthcare access, and Vermont had the best healthcare outcomes.