Most and Least Expensive States for Health Care, Ranked

By Les Masterson, Editor Amy Danise, Editor

Updated: Nov 8, 2022 - Forbes Advisor

Health care costs averaged over $10,000 per person in 2020, but the exact amount varied by state. We compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 11 key metrics using data from the Kaiser Family Foundation to determine which states are most and least expensive for health care.

Key Takeaways

Top 5 States Where Health Care Is Most Expensive

1. South Dakota

South Dakota’s score: 100 out of 100

2. Louisiana

Louisiana’s score: 86.69 out of 100

3. West Virginia

West Virginia’s score: 82.31 out of 100

4. Florida

Florida’s score: 79.51 out of 100

5. Wyoming

Wyoming’s score: 78.63 out of 100

Top 5 States Where Health Care Is Least Expensive

51. Michigan

Michigan’s score: 0 out of 100

50. Washington

Washington’s score: 1.93 out of 100

49. Nevada

Nevada’s score: 18.21 out of 100

48. Hawaii

Hawaii’s score: 21.19 out of 100

47. New Mexico

New Mexico’s score: 29.60 out of 100


[Ranking]

Health Costs Leading to Debt and Delayed Care

Health care costs result in medical debt and even cause some Americans to put off doctor visits, medical procedures and prescription drug refills.

Forbes Advisor surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults about how health care costs impact them. We found that 23% are paying off medical debt and many people in that situation have made lifestyle changes in the past 12 months to help pay off that debt.

Many Americans with medical debt say they’ve made life changes to pay off the debt over the past 12 months, including:

Adjusting spending habits is still not enough, as many believe medical debt will remain with them for years. Though most people with medical debt (61%) expect to pay off their debt in the next two years, 39% don’t think they’ll pay off their medical debt for at least three years.

The cost of health care is also forcing many Americans to put off doctor appointments and medical procedures.

In an effort to reduce costs in the past 12 months:

Many Americans consider a medical bill of under $1,000 to be unaffordable

A person’s financial situation can influence whether they face crippling medical debt. One person may think a $500 medical bill is no big deal, while someone with limited income may have no way to pay that bill.

Nearly half (44%) of Americans surveyed say a medical bill under $1,000 is unaffordable. That includes 26% who say that a medical bill of $500 or less would be unaffordable.

How are Americans paying expensive medical bills? Most people who are faced with a medical bill of $500 or more are putting it on credit and debit cards or using multiple ways to pay the debt.

Health insurance availability affects career choices

Health care costs are not only putting people into debt. They’re also influencing our job selections.

Most people who are pre-retirement age get health insurance through an employer and many Americans select a job for the health coverage. Forbes Advisor’s survey found that 31% of people with employer-provided health insurance stayed at a job they disliked because of the company’s health coverage and 20% chose to work full-time rather than part-time to get health insurance.

Health insurance can help a company retain?or lose?employees. Our survey found that 8% of respondents with health insurance through work said they left a job that they liked because they wanted better health coverage.

Inflation impacts health insurance selections during open enrollment

Health insurance open enrollment is the time of year when you can choose or make changes to your health insurance. Inflation is playing a part in which health plan people select this year.

Our survey found that 23% of American adults say they will select a plan with a lower premium because of inflation, while 11% will choose a plan with a lower deductible because of inflation. Another 7% plan to use a health savings account to help offset inflationary costs.

Methodology

Health Care Costs Study Methodology

To measure the most and least expensive states for health care, Forbes Advisor examined data from the Kaiser Family Foundation for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and compared it across 11 metrics:

Survey Methodology

To see how Americans are being impacted by the high cost of health care, the Forbes advisor team commissioned an online survey of 2,000 American adults, which was conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Surveys were conducted from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2022. The margin of error is +/- 2.2 points with 95% confidence. The OnePoll research team, a member of the MRS and has a corporate membership with the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), oversaw the survey.