JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A recent report says Mississippi’s health care system is lagging behind other states in the country.
America has the highest healthcare costs in the world, yet its overall quality is inferior to many wealthy countries. But healthcare outcomes are not uniform across the U.S.: WalletHub ranks Mississippi as the worst state in the nation.
According to analyst Cassandra Happe, the two most important factors in good health care are price and quality, but they are among the Magnolia State’s weakest selling points.
“The best health care in the country is no good if it bankrupts those who seek it, and cheap care that offers low-quality or ineffective treatments isn’t worth paying for,” Happe said in the WalletHub analysis.
Mississippi’s average monthly premiums are the 25th highest in the nation, a steep price to pay for health care considering Mississippians have the lowest per capita income. But according to WalletHub, Mississippians are not getting the insurance they pay for, and many are uninsured.
Mississippi has the seventh fewest physicians and fifth fewest dentists per capita. It also has the lowest percentage of children who have had a recent medical or dental exam. Mississippi has the fifth highest percentage of uninsured adults and the 16th highest percentage of uninsured children.
WalletHub’s April report also found that Mississippi is the worst state for child health care. It has the fourth-lowest number of children with “good” or “very good” dental health, the lowest percentage of children with “good” or “very good” health, and the highest rates of infant mortality and childhood obesity.
