The U.S. Healthcare system is infamously awful, unfair, and exploitative. From the exorbitant costs to patients and the government to the high amount of uninsured American citizens, it is objectively one of the worst healthcare systems in the “developed” world.

We spend more on healthcare than any other country, yet our healthcare remains poor. Some states have higher quality and better-funded healthcare than others. We used data from WalletHub to measure the worst healthcare in America. The overall scores are out of 100. It is worth noting that the best state, Minnesota, has an overall score of 67.38.

#12 Tennessee     

• Overall Score: 50.95
• Health Outcomes Rank: 45

Something unique about America is our high instances firearm injury death rate. Tennessee has a firearm injury death rate of 20.5 people out of 100,000 people. That equals 1,480 deaths per year. This is a unique problem that other wealthy countries don’t have.

#11 North Carolina

• Overall Score: 50.82
• Health Outcomes Rank: 30

In 2023, 9.43% of infants had low birth weight. Low Birth Weight babies are born full term and weigh less than 5.5 pounds. This metric is important to pay attention to because low birth weight is completely preventable. This can point to several healthcare system failures.

#10 Florida

• Overall Score: 50.77
• Health Outcomes Rank: 42

Immunizations are the best way to prevent illness in the general population. Florida is experiencing a 10-year-low rate of schoolchildren being vaccinated. In 2023, only 18 out of Florida’s 67 counties met the state goal of having 95% of kindergarten students fully vaccinated.

#9 Louisiana

• Overall score: 50.38
• Health Outcomes Rank: 46

looking at the number of physicians per capita can paint an accurate picture of healthcare access. In Louisiana, there are 185 physicians per 100,000 people. This is far below the national average.

#8 Arkansas

• Overall Score: 49.48
• Health Outcomes Rank: 50

As of 2021, the death rate in Arkansas is 1.1k per 100,000 people per year. The national average is much less at 879.7 people per 100,000.

#7 Texas

• Overall Score: 49.39
• Health Outcomes Rank: 38

Access to health insurance is one of the largest contributing factors to health. 17.97% of all Texans are uninsured. That equates to 5 million people. Texas also has the lowest percentage of insured children ages 0-18. Considering that children can qualify for health insurance under CHIP, a federal program, this statistic is alarming.

#6 Alaska

• Overall Score: 49.13
• Health Outcomes Rank: 32

Healthcare spending per capita is above the national average at $15,940 per Alaskan per year. The leading cause of death in Alaska is cancer.

#5 Oklahoma

• Overall Score: 48.93
• Health Outcomes Rank: 44

The leading cause of death in Oklahoma is heart disease. Oklahoma leads the country at 257.1 per 100,000 people. There are different types of heart disease, but generally, heart disease is caused when there is inadequate blood supply going to the heart.

#4 Georgia

• Overall Score: 48.61
• Health Outcomes Rank: 43

The infant mortality rate rose 3% last year in Georgia. The infant mortality rate measures the number of infants who die before reaching their first birthday. It is 7.08 per 100,000 births. This translates to 893 infant deaths in 2023.

#3 West Virginia

• Overall Score: 48.46
• Health Outcomes Rank: 48

The proximity of patients to medical services is important. In 2021 alone, 3 hospitals closed in West Virginia due to funding issues in rural areas, with many low-income or below-the-poverty-line households. This devastated these communities.

#2 Alabama

• Overall Score: 48.19
• Health Outcomes Rank: 47

Healthy People 2030 defines access to care as, “The timely use of personal health services to achieve the best possible health outcomes.” Alabama has an uninsured rate of 17.5% (the national average is 13.6%), affects 18–24-year-olds and rural communities the very most.

#1 Mississippi

• Overall Score: 46.01
• Health Outcomes Rank: 51

Mississippi has the worst maternal mortality rate at 39 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The national average is 23. Not coincidentally, Mississippi also has the most restrictive abortion bans. Mississippi also has the largest infant mortality rate in the country, 3 times higher than North Dakota, which has the lowest rate.  

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