The 10 Best U.S. States for Health Care

These states excel in areas like access to care and having a healthy population.

Article By:  Steven Ross Johnson

Blog Source From : https://www.usnews.com/

Explore the Best States for Health Care

Where you reside can be an important factor in determining how much access you have to medical services, the quality of health care you can expect to receive – and ultimately, even how long you live.

From providing insurance coverage to fighting public health threats, health care makes up a significant part of state spending each year. At the same time, issues of access and quality were brought into sharp relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the 2023 Best States rankings, U.S. News determined the best states for health care, based on how states performed relative to one another in more than a dozen metrics across the areas of health care access, health care quality and public health. Metrics included the quality of nursing home and hospital care, health insurance enrollment, rates of smoking and obesity, and more.

Six states from the Northeast are among the 10 best states for health care, while only three from the West took a top spot. Here’s a look at the 10 highest-performers. You can learn more about how states are assessed in the Best States methodology.

1. Hawaii

Health care access ranking: 1

Health care quality ranking: 3

Public health ranking: 1

Overall Best States ranking: 31

2. Rhode Island

Health care access ranking: 4

Health care quality ranking: 6

Public health ranking: 7

Overall Best States ranking: 32

3. Massachusetts

Health care access ranking: 3

Health care quality ranking: 19

Public health ranking: 2

Overall Best States ranking: 11

4. Maryland

Health care access ranking: 9

Health care quality ranking: 1

Public health ranking: 10

Overall Best States ranking: 22

5. Connecticut

Health care access ranking: 2

Health care quality ranking: 27

Public health ranking: 6

Overall Best States ranking: 16

6. California

Health care access ranking: 34

Health care quality ranking: 4

Public health ranking: 4

Overall Best States ranking: 33

7. Utah

Health care access ranking: 12

Health care quality ranking: 2

Public health ranking: 15

Overall Best States ranking: 1

8. New Jersey

Health care access ranking: 13

Health care quality ranking: 20

Public health ranking: 3

Overall Best States ranking: 19

9. New York

Health care access ranking: 10

Health care quality ranking: 26

Public health ranking: 5

Overall Best States ranking: 20

10. Pennsylvania

Health care access ranking: 6

Health care quality ranking: 10

Public health ranking: 25

Overall Best States ranking: 40