In The U.S., Where You Live Determines The Healthcare That You Get

Posted Thu, 2009/10/15 - 21:17 by Amer Kaissi

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A new study comparing all 52 American states reports that there are wide variations among states across five dimensions: access, quality, cost, equity and ability to live long and healthy lives.

The study referred to as the “State Scorecard” compared the states on 32 main measures. States that emerged at the top quartile in terms of overall performance rankings include (from #1 to #13) Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota.

On the other hand, the thirteen states that ranked at the bottom quartile of the overall performance ranking include (from #52 to #39) Oklahoma, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Nevada, Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and California.

The results of the study indicate that since some states are able to reach those high performance measures, there is huge room for improvement for the lagging states and for the country overall. For example, if all states could reduce their amenable mortality rates to the levels reached by top states, around 90,000 deaths could be prevented nationwide per year. If insurance rates across the country can match those in the top states, the total number of uninsured Americans could be reduced by half.

Other implications include that if all states had similar chronic care to the best states, four million more diabetic patients across the country would receive basic recommended care and avoid unnecessary complications. Billions of dollars could be prevented per year if all states can match top states on reducing preventable hospital stays and hospital readmissions. Thirty eight billion dollars could be saved if annual per person Medicare costs in higher cost states were reduced to those achieved in the lowest cost states.

The low performing states and the country as a whole have much to gain from reducing those gaps that “represent illnesses that could have been prevented or better managed, as well as costs that could have been saved or reinvested to improve population health.” There are valuable lessons to be learned at home as the country is on the brink of healthcare reform.

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