These 5 states are healthcare rockstars: 2023 update
Key Takeaways
The best states for healthcare overall are primarily concentrated in the East Coast, except for outlier Hawaii.
The best states to work in from a physician perspective, however, do not include any of the top states for healthcare overall, with stats based on salary, taxes, loan repayment options, and quality of life.
West Virginia is reported to be the worst state for healthcare, as well as the worst state to practice as a physician.
The state in which you receive healthcare shapes a patient’s quality of life. The health behaviors of community members, available resources, and state-specific regulations are impacting your patient’s financial, physical, and emotional well-being.
Comparing healthcare quality in different states is challenging because no two states are the same. However, US News and World Report recently published their state rankings based on several criteria that define how patients experience their local medical system.[]
Here’s what they uncovered, along with additional insights from the provider’s perspective.
Top-5 best states for healthcare overall
The following five states ranked the highest for factors like access to health insurance, the quality of healthcare facilities, and the lifestyles of people living there.
East coasters, take note: This 2023 update (from our 2021 coverage) sees Rhode Island and Maryland rising in the ranks.
1. Hawaii
Hawaii earned the top spot for best overall healthcare. Only 5.5% of Hawaiians reportedly don’t have health insurance—a favorable comparison from the national average of 12.2%. In addition, the adult obesity rate in Hawaii was about 8% lower than the national average. Hawaii also had a significantly lower number of preventable hospitalizations, with 1,709 per 100,000 patients reported compared with an average of 2,781 in other states.
2. Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, preventable hospital admissions and adult obesity rates inched closer to the national average than those in Hawaii, but they were still slightly lower. However, Rhode Island shined regarding health insurance, with just 6% of residents uninsured (less than half the national statistic).
3. Massachusetts
Massachusetts had an exceptionally high rate of people with health insurance. Only 3.5% of residents are uninsured. The state ranked number-three in the country (ie, had low rates) for obesity, overall mortality, infant mortality, and suicide.
4. Maryland
Maryland ranked number four for healthcare overall but got first place for the subcategory of healthcare quality. However, obesity rates were slightly over the national average, so Maryland came in 10th overall in the public health category.
5. Connecticut
Connecticut was ranked 2nd for healthcare access. The rate of uninsured residents was 7.4%—approximately 5% below the national average. When it came to healthcare quality, though, Connecticut didn’t fare as well, coming in at number 27 in the country.
Rankings for access, quality, and public health
Several factors made up the rating system for healthcare access, including child and adult wellness visits, child and adult dental visits, enrollment in health insurance, and the affordability of healthcare.
Hawaii, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire ranked the highest in this subcategory.
For healthcare quality, the reviewers at US News and World Report considered the quality of hospitals and nursing homes, the number of preventable hospitalizations, and the quality of Medicare. The top-five states for healthcare quality were Maryland, Utah, Hawaii, California, and Arizona.
To grade public health, the reviewers were looking for states with good mental health and low rates of mortality, suicide, smoking, infant mortality, and adult obesity. Again, Hawaii won the top spot, followed by Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and New York.
Worst-5 states for healthcare overall
On the other end of the spectrum, these states came in last for healthcare overall.
West Virginia
Mississippi
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Kentucky
West Virginia was ranked the worst—its high obesity rate of 40.7% contributed to its low overall ranking for healthcare. The state also ranked lowest for smoking, mortality, and mental health compared with other states.
Provider perspectives
While US News & World Report ranked the states based mainly on the landscape of community health, research from WalletHub painted a very different picture, looking through the lens of providers.[]
They ranked Montana, South Dakota, and Idaho as the best states to practice medicine, while Hawaii came in last.
Rankings were based on factors in two basic categories, Opportunity & Competition (70 points), which included items like average wages and projected job competition, and Medical Environment (30 points), which considered such aspects as costs and payouts of malpractice and the presence of punitive state medical boards.
South Dakota and Idaho also earned top spots in an analysis from Physicians Thrive. High salaries, low taxes, loan repayment options, and quality of life were some of their notable perks.[] As with US News & World Report, West Virginia remained at the bottom of their list, adding high physician burnout and malpractice lawsuits to the list of factors sinking the state.
What this means for you
Maybe you’re a resident just starting your career, or maybe you’re a seasoned physician who is interested in relocating—if the choice is yours to make, there are some clear stand outs on best places to practice as a physician, such as South Dakota and Idaho. West Virginia, however, proves itself to be the lowest ranked for both physicians and patients.