Healthcare is most affordable and accessible for women in Vermont and least affordable and accessible for women in Texas, according to a July 18 analysis from The Commonwealth Fund.
The report evaluated all 50 states and Washington, D.C., on 32 measures of healthcare access, affordability, care quality and health outcomes for women. The Commonwealth Fund ranked states both on overall performance across these areas and on each category separately.
To assess healthcare affordability and access, the independent, nonpartisan organization examined insurance coverage, women's usual source of care, cost-related barriers to care and the state health system's capacity for reproductive health services. The analysis is based on 2021-22 data from publicly available sources. Learn more about the methodology here.
Though the insurance gap between younger and older-working age adults has shrunk since the passage of the ACA in 2010, younger women continued to experience higher uninsured rates than older women across most states in 2022, the analysis found. Overall, uninsured rates for reproductive-age women ranged from 2.6% in Massachusetts to 22% in Texas.
The analysis attributed these gaps to the lack of Medicaid expansion in 10 states, enrollment barriers for undocumented immigrants, and obstacles for eligible individuals such as cost, lack of awareness and periodic Medicaid disenrollment.
The 10 best states for health coverage, access and affordability for women:
1. Vermont
2. District of Columbia
3. Maine
4. Rhode Island
5. Hawaii
6. Massachusetts
7. New Hampshire
8. Michigan
9. Connecticut
10. New York
The 10 worst states for health coverage, access and affordability for women:
1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Nevada
4. Florida
5. Wyoming
6. Arizona
7. Oklahoma
8. North Carolina
9. Mississippi
10. Alabama