Study: SC ranks 7th worst in US for health care

South Carolina’s health care ranks as 7th worst in the nation, a new study concludes.

Although more Americans have access to health care today than ever before, cost and quality of care varies from state to state, according to the researchers from WalletHub, a personal financial website.

The researchers looked at 35 indicators of cost, access and outcomes and weighted them on a 100-point scale representing the best care at the most reasonable cost.

The indicators include average monthly insurance premiums, high out-of-pocket spending, number of providers per capita, cost of medical visits, the number of uninsured residents, infant mortality rate, vaccination rates, cancer rate, heart disease rate and life expectancy.

The researchers then compared the results between states.

South Carolina — which ranked 47th for the share of adults with no doctor visit because of cost, 46th for share of adults with no dental visit in the past year, and 46th in average ER wait time — ranked 45th overall.

The state also ranked 35th in physicians per capita, 34th in number of dentists, and 39th in percentage of insured adults, according to the study.

It ranked 25th in physician Medicare-acceptance rates 37th in share of out-of-pocket medical spending.

Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, South Dakota, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island were the top ten states.

Rounding out the bottom 10 with South Carolina were Nevada, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Alaska, Mississippi and Louisiana.

South Carolina ranked 28th for the average cost of a medical visit ($106.53), 32nd for cost of a dental visit ($93.69) and 25th in average monthly health insurance premiums ($332).

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A number of factors can influence the price of health care, including the health of the population and advanced medical equipment, the researchers said.

And while the average American spends nearly $10,000 a year on health care - more than health care costs in other countries - that doesn’t mean better health care. In fact, while other nations spend less than the U.S., their health outcomes are better.

To read the full analysis, go to https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-health-care/23457/.