MA Ranked 2nd Best State in U.S. for Children’s Healthcare

Tuesday, April 25, 2017
GoLocalWorcester News Team

MA Ranked 2nd Best State in U.S. for Children's Healthcare

Massachusetts is one of the best states in the U.S. for Children's healthcare. 

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Massachusetts is the second best state in the country for children's healthcare behind only Vermont. 

“Raising a child in America is more expensive than ever, and health care accounts for a big chunk of the bill. And while more kids are insured today than at any other point in history, the higher coverage rate hasn’t translated to lower health costs for parents. Per-capita spending on children’s healthcare in 2014 reached $2,660 — having increased by more than 5 percent every year since 2010 — due mainly to rising health costs, according to a recent report from the Health Cost Institute,” said WalletHub. 

MA's Rankings 

• 2nd- % of Kids’ health & Access to Healthcare Rank 
• 18th- Kids Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity Rank 
• 7th- Kids Oral Health Rank 
• 1st- % of uninsured children aged 10-17 
• 3rd- Lowest Infant Death Rate 
• 5th- Most Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita 
• T-5 - % of Children Aged 1-17 with Excellent/Very Good Teeth 
• 4th- % of Children Aged 0-17 with Medical & Dental Preventive Care Visits in Past Year 

 

The Rankings 

The top five states for children's healthcare are Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and New Hampshire. 

Nevada is ranked as the worst state for children's healthcare. 

See the full rankings in the map below 

The Method 

In order to determine the best and worst states for children’s healthcare, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Kids’ Health & Access to Healthcare, 2) Kids’ Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity and 3) Kids’ Oral Health.

They evaluated these categories using 28 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the best healthcare for children.

WalletHub then calculated overall scores for each state and the District of Columbia based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct our final ranking.

Kids’ Health & Access to Healthcare – Total Points: 55

• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 in Excellent/Very Good Health: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Infant-Death Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Child-Death Rate: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 19 to 35 Months with All Seven Recommended Vaccines: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Share of Uninsured Children Aged 0 to 17: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 with Unaffordable Medical Bills: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Cost of Doctor’s Visit: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
• Number of Children’s Hospitals per Total Number of Children: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

 

Kids’ Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity – Total Points: 40

• Healthy-Food Access: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Children Aged 14 to 18: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 14 to 18 Who Consume Fruits/Vegetables Less than Once Daily: Full Weight (~3.34 Points)
• Fast-Food Restaurants per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Dietitians & Nutritionists per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 6 to 17 Who Exercise or Play at Least 20 Minutes per Day: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Share of Overweight Children Aged 10 to 17: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
• Share of Obese Children Aged 10 to 17: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
• Presence of Obesity-Related School Standards: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Presence of Obesity-Related State Initiatives: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

 

Kids’ Oral Health – Total Points: 5

• Share of Children Aged 1 to 17 with Excellent/Very Good Teeth: Double Weight (~0.91 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Who Had Both Medical & Dental Preventive-Care Visits in Past 12 Months: Double Weight (~0.91 Points)
• Share of Children Aged 0 to 17 Lacking Access to Fluoridated Water: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)
• Presence of State Oral Health Plan: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)
• Presence of School-Based Dental-Sealant Programs: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)
• Dental Treatment Costs: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)
• Presence of State Mandate for Dental-Health Screening: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)
• Share of Dentists Participating in Medicaid for Child Dental Services: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)
• Dentists per Capita: Full Weight (~0.45 Points)