NC lands in a surprising spot on Forbes’ ranking of best and worst healthcare states

Forbes recently published a ranked list of the best and worst states for healthcare in the country, and North Carolina’s spot may surprise you.

The Tar Heel state was ranked the third-worst state for healthcare overall and the worst state in the country for healthcare costs.

Minnesota was deemed the best state for healthcare overall, while Georgia was named the worst.

Forbes analyzed and compared all 50 states across 24 metrics to determine these rankings, spanning four key categories: healthcare access, healthcare outcomes, healthcare cost and quality of hospital care.

Read the full report and its methodology at forbes.com/advisor/health-insurance.

Here’s what to know about healthcare rankings across the country and within our state.

Is North Carolina an affordable state for healthcare?

According to Forbes, absolutely not. North Carolina is the worst state for healthcare costs out of all 50.

Additionally, North Carolinians with single health insurance coverage through an employer pay the eighth highest premium nationwide at $1,847 annually, Forbes says.

In Minnesota — the best state for overall healthcare, per Forbes — residents with single health insurance coverage through an employer pay $1,537 annually.

Which states are the best for healthcare?

Forbes ranked the following states as the best for overall healthcare:

1. Minnesota

2. Massachusetts

3. Rhode Island

4. Connecticut

5. Vermont

6. New Hampshire

7. Michigan

8. Oregon

9. Maine

10. Pennsylvania

Seven of the top 10 best states for healthcare are in the northeast.

Which states are the worst for healthcare?

Forbes said the following states are the worst for healthcare overall:

1. Georgia

2. Alabama

3. North Carolina

4. Mississippi

5. South Carolina

6. Arkansas

7. New Mexico

8. Texas

9. Nevada

10. Indiana

Seven of the top 10 worst states for healthcare are in the southeast.

Why is North Carolina one of the worst states for healthcare?

North Carolina stands out among other states, Forbes says, because it has the:

• Fifth lowest number of nurse practitioners (4.28 per 10,000 state residents).

• Eighth highest infant mortality rate (6.76 deaths per 1,000 live births).

• Ninth highest rate of both stroke deaths (44.13 per 100,000 state residents), as well as influenza and pneumonia deaths (13.4 per 100,000 state residents).

North Carolina has 13.45 primary care physicians available per 10,000 residents.

In comparison, the top five best states (according to Forbes) have the following number of physicians available per 10,000 residents:

• 16.27 in Minnesota

• 23.34 in Massachusetts

• 25.89 in Rhode Island

• 20.91 in Connecticut

• 18.24 in Vermont

N&O staff reporter Tyler Dukes contributed to this report.

This story was originally published October 23, 2023 at 11:51 AM with the headline "NC lands in a surprising spot on Forbes’ ranking of best and worst healthcare states."

Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska

The News & Observer

919-419-6630

Kimberly Tutuska (she/her) is the editor of North Carolina’s service journalism team.