How High Medical Bills Are in Every State
Ever wonder just how expensive it is to live where you do? Costs vary from state to state (and even on a more granular basis). Here’s one line item on your personal or business budget that affect your quality of life, healthcare costs. Our friends at GoBankingRates, looked at costs state by state and broke it down for us. We aren’t thinking of moving from where we are just yet, but these numbers should be eye openers for anyone.
FROM GOBANKING RATES / BY CYNTHIA MEASOM
The high cost of healthcare can cause financial hardships for individuals and families in the U.S. According to Forbes Advisor, healthcare costs averaged $10,000 per person in 2020. Due to the expense, people make decisions like delaying medical care, forgoing prescriptions and opting out of medical procedures.
To find out which states are most and least expensive when it comes to medical care, GOBankingRates looked at healthcare cost data Forbes Advisor compiled across 11 key metrics using Kaiser Family Foundation data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. States were assigned a score out of 100 (with 0 being the most affordable) and are ranked from least expensive to most expensive below. Here’s how high medical bills are in every state.
51. Michigan
Total score out of 100: 0.0
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,524
Michigan is the cheapest state for healthcare due to several factors. For example, residents of the state who have employer-provided health insurance pay some of the lowest premiums and deductibles in America.
50. Washington
Total score out of 100: 1.93
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,939
Washington state residents also pay some of the lowest premiums in the nation for employer-provided health insurance.
49. Nevada
Total score out of 100: 18.21
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,118
48. Hawaii
Total score out of 100: 21.19
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,593
Adults living in the Aloha State were the least likely in the U.S. to report delaying a doctor’s visit in the past 12 months due to cost (data was from 2020). Also, residents with employer-provided health insurance with single coverage pay the lowest average premiums in the country at only $846.67 per year.
47. New Mexico
Total score out of 100: 29.60
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,505
46. District of Columbia
Total score out of 100: 31.17
Healthcare spending per capita: $13,934
45. Pennsylvania
Total score out of 100: 32.05
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,229
44. Massachusetts
Total score out of 100: 32.57
Healthcare spending per capita: $12,754
43. Oregon
Total score out of 100: 33.10
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,625
42. Wisconsin
Total score out of 100: 34.68
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,626
41. Ohio
Total score out of 100: 34.85
Healthcare spending per capita: $10,093
40. Idaho
Total score out of 100: 37.48
Healthcare spending per capita: $7,772
39. Maryland
Total score out of 100: 38.00
Healthcare spending per capita: $10,340
38. Minnesota
Total score out of 100: 38.00
Healthcare spending per capita: $10,510
37. Utah
Total score out of 100: 38.53
Healthcare spending per capita: $7,241
Out of all the states, Utah has the lowest healthcare spending per capita.
36. Iowa
Total score out of 100: 39.05
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,265
After Hawaii, Iowa residents were some of the least likely to delay a doctor visit due to cost, with only 7.63% of adults doing so.
35. Virginia
Total score out of 100: 39.40
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,815
34. Rhode Island
Total score out of 100: 39.93
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,049
33. Arkansas
Total score out of 100: 42.03
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,912
32. California
Total score out of 100: 43.26
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,665
31. Vermont
Total score out of 100: 43.78
Healthcare spending per capita: $12,237
30. Montana
Total score out of 100: 45.01
Healthcare spending per capita: $9.791
29. South Carolina
Total score out of 100: 47.99
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,362
28. Alabama
Total score out of 100: 49.21
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,788
27. Texas
Total score out of 100: 49.56
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,048
Even though Texas has one of the lower healthcare spending per capita across the nation, it has the highest percentage of adults –16.63% — who did not see a doctor due to cost in the last 12 months.
26. New Jersey
Total score out of 100: 51.49
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,266
25. Mississippi
Total score out of 100: 51.84
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,852
24. North Dakota
Total score out of 100: 52.19
Healthcare spending per capita: $10,741
23. North Carolina
Total score out of 100: 53.77
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,607
22. Kentucky
Total score out of 100: 53.94
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,778
21. Illinois
Total score out of 100: 53.94
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,601
20. Colorado
Total score out of 100: 53.34
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,289
19. Georgia
Total score out of 100: 55.52
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,282
After Texas, Georgia has the second-highest percentage of adults — 16.53% — who delayed seeing a doctor over the past 12 months due to the expense (Data was from 2020).
18. Indiana
Total score out of 100: 57.79
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,914
17. Kansas
Total score out of 100: 58.84
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,845
16. Tennessee
Total score out of 100: 59.19
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,909
15. Missouri
Total score out of 100: 60.25
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,461
14. Connecticut
Total score out of 100: 62.00
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,899
13. Arizona
Total score out of 100: 63.05
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,239
12. Alaska
Total score out of 100: 64.97
Healthcare spending per capita: $13,188
Alaska has the highest health care spending per capita across the nation.
11. New York
Total score out of 100: 67.25
Healthcare spending per capita: $13,012
10. Oklahoma
Total score out of 100: 69.35
Healthcare spending per capita: $8,997
9. New Hampshire
Total score out of 100: 69.53
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,359
8. Delaware
Total score out of 100: 73.91
Healthcare spending per capita: $12,294
7. Maine
Total score out of 100: 74.08
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,505
6. Nebraska
Total score out of 100: 75.13
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,974
5. Wyoming
Total score out of 100: 78.63
Healthcare spending per capita: $10,296
Residents of Wyoming with an individual health insurance plan from the Affordable Care Act marketplace paid the most expensive annual premium in the U.S. at $9,260. Additionally, the families of 16% of children in the state had trouble paying for their children’s medical expenses between 2019-2020 — a metric that outranked every other U.S. state. Wyoming also had the highest percentage of adults — 64.7% — who reported an unmet need for mental health treatment due to the expense.
4. Florida
Total score out of 100: 79.51
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,501
The cost of health insurance in the Sunshine State caused 14.87% of residents to delay seeing a doctor over the past 12 months (data was from 2020). Additionally, Florida residents with family health coverage from their employer pay the highest annual premium in the U.S. at $7,079.33.
3. West Virginia
Total score out of 100: 82.31
Healthcare spending per capita: $12,019
2. Louisiana
Total score out of 100: 86.69
Healthcare spending per capita: $9,796
Not only is Louisiana one of the top five states where healthcare is most expensive, residents with employer-provided health insurance pay some of the most expensive premiums in the U.S. at $6,999.67.
1. South Dakota
Total score out of 100: 100.00
Healthcare spending per capita: $11,736
Several factors are responsible for South Dakota being the state where healthcare is most expensive overall. For starters, families of 12% of children had difficulty paying for their children’s medical bills between 2019-2020. Also, the state had the third-highest increase in overall healthcare spending per person over a five-year period at 24.38%. South Dakota also had the sixth-highest annual health insurance premium for people with individual plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplace at $7,156.