Best and worst states for child healthcare

WalletHub - As workers pay an average of $6,850 annually toward employer-sponsored family health coverage and Every Kid Healthy Week begins on April 20, the personal-finance company WalletHub has released its report on 2026’s Best and Worst States for Children’s Health Care.

To identify the states that provide the most affordable and highest-quality health care for children, WalletHub evaluated the 50 states and the District of Columbia using 33 key indicators. The data set includes measures ranging from the percentage of children ages 0 to 17 who are in excellent or very good health to the number of pediatricians and family doctors per capita.
 

Best States for Children’s Health Care	Worst States for Children’s Health Care
1. Massachusetts	42. Arkansas
2. Rhode Island	43. Oklahoma
3. Connecticut	44. Texas
4. Vermont	45. Georgia
5. Hawaii	46. Wyoming
6. New Jersey	47. Kentucky
7. Pennsylvania	48. Montana
8. New York	49. Alaska
9. Iowa	50. Arizona
10. California	51. Mississippi

 
Best vs. Worst

• Massachusetts has the lowest share of uninsured children aged 0 to 18, which is 7.5 times lower than in Texas, the highest.
   
• Hawaii has the lowest share of children aged 0 to 17 with unaffordable medical bills, which is 2.6 times lower than in Wyoming, the highest.
   
• The District of Columbia has the most pediatricians per 100,000 residents, which is 29 times more than in Louisiana, the fewest.
   
• Colorado have the lowest share of obese children aged 10 to 17, which is 2.4 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest.

The full report