Healthcare News
Texas ranks among the absolute worst states for healthcare
When it comes to healthcare, the Lone Star State is at the bottom of the list. According to a new study from WalletHub, Texas is the 11th worst state for healthcare in 2017.
The financial website ranked the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on metrics in three categories: cost, accessibility, and outcome.
In Texas, monthly insurance premiums are $302 on average (the eighth cheapest), and we pay $95 for a medical visit and $88 for a dental visit, also among the cheapest costs. However, our overall cost ranking is No. 44, due in part to the staggering 18.2 percent of adults won't go to the doctor simply because of the cost.
We rank the very worst — No. 51 — in the access category. Only 72 percent of adults are insured, the worst figure among all states. Additionally, only 88 percent of children are insured, the third worst percentage in the U.S.
And while Texas is home to the 13th best public hospital system, there aren't enough healthcare professionals to service our population. There are only 225 physicians, 33 nurse practitioners, 25 physicians assistants, and 70 emergency medical technicians/paramedics per 100,000 residents.
Texas' top ranking is at No. 30 in the outcome category, which includes factors such as life expectancy and infant mortality rate. There's still room to be more proactive about our care. Over 14 percent of at-risk adults have had no routine visits in the past two years, and only 67 percent of children were taken to preventative care visits in the past year.
The worst state for healthcare is Louisiana, which is joined in the bottom 10 by Nevada (42), Florida (43), Alabama (44), South Carolina (45), Georgia (46), North Carolina (47), Arkansas (48), Alaska (49), and Mississippi (50). The best state for healthcare in 2017 is Hawaii.
