To identify the best and worst states for healthcare, analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 42 different measures of healthcare cost, access and outcomes. The metrics ranged from average hospital expenses per inpatient day to share of patients readmitted to hospitals. Read more about the methodology here.
Here are the five states with the highest overall ranking across cost, access and outcomes, according to the analysis:
1. Rhode Island
2. Massachusetts
3. Hawaii
4. Minnesota
5. Maryland
Here are the bottom five states on healthcare cost, access and outcomes combined:
1. Mississippi
2. Alabama
3. Louisiana
4. Oklahoma
5. Arkansas
