VERMONT TOPS 'SCORECARD'
In a health-system performance analysis, the Commonwealth Fund ranked the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Top 5
1. Vermont
2. Hawaii
3. Iowa
4. Minnesota
5. Maine
New Hampshire (tie)
Bottom 5
51. Mississippi
50. Oklahoma
49. Louisiana
48. Arkansas
47. Nevada
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
A new "scorecard" lists "shockingly wide variations" among the states when it comes to the health of their residents, says the president of the Commonwealth Fund, which compared such factors as access to care, insurance coverage and avoidable hospital admissions.
"The differences we see among the states translate to real lives and real dollars," Karen Davis said Wednesday at a news conference.
ON THE WEB: See state-by-state info at commonwealthfund.org
"Where you live matters for how long you live and how healthy you live," said study co-author Cathy Schoen, senior vice president of the Commonwealth Fund.
Overall, Vermont ranked No. 1 and Mississippi came in last, the same position it held when the Commonwealth Fund compiled its first scorecard in 2007. Hawaii, which was second this year, ranked first, ahead of Vermont, in 2007. The same 13 states made up the top quarter in both 2007 and 2009, although their specific rankings shifted. And 10 of the 13 states in the lowest quarter in 2009 also ranked at the bottom in 2007.
Schoen noted that the 2009 scorecard is based on data collected "on the eve of the recession," so "the worst is yet to come."
In some measures of health status, the top state's performance was double or triple that of the bottom state's, the Commonwealth Fund found.
<snip>
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-10-08-states-healthcare_N.htm