BALTIMORE, MD—With workers paying an average of over $6,500 per year toward employer-sponsored family coverage and Every Kid Healthy Week kicking off on April 22, the personal-finance website WalletHub this week released its report on 2024’s Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care.
In order to determine which states offer the most cost-effective and highest-quality health care for children, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 33 key metrics. The data set ranges from the share of children in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita.
Maryland came in at No. 8 on the list. Massachusetts was named the best state for children’s health care while Mississippi came in last place.
Children’s Health Care in Maryland (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
- Overall Rank: 8th
- 11th – % of Children in Excellent/Very Good Health
- 18th – % of Uninsured Children
- 10th – % of Children with Unaffordable Medical Bills
- 29th – Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita
- 22nd – % of Obese Children
- 6th – % of Children with Excellent/Very Good Teeth
- 22nd – % of Children 19 to 35 Months Old with All Recommended Vaccines
“The quality of children’s health care should be one of the most important considerations for parents when deciding where to live,” said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. “Having access to quality pediatric and dental care, nutritious food and good spaces for recreation from a young age can give children a much better chance of growing up healthy and forming good habits that will last into their adult life.”
“Massachusetts is the best state for children’s health, boasting the highest percentage of children who had both a medical and a dental preventative care visit in the past 12 months,” Happe added. “Massachusetts also has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the country, and one of the lowest death rates for children ages 14 and under. In the Bay State, only 1.5% of children lack health insurance, the lowest uninsured rate of any state.”
The full report can be viewed online here at WalletHub.
