The Best States for Cancer Care in 2021

Rhea-AI Summary

ValuePenguin.com has released a report ranking Minnesota as the state with the best cancer care in the U.S., scoring 19 out of 20 points. The report evaluates states based on costs, access to care, and cancer death rates. New Mexico, Rhode Island, Arizona, Maryland, and Pennsylvania follow closely with scores of 18. In contrast, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin scored the lowest at 9 points due to high healthcare costs and inadequate access to insurance. The report highlights the critical need for affordable cancer care, especially in states with high uninsured rates.

Positive

• Minnesota ranks highest in cancer care with a score of 19 out of 20.
• New Mexico, Rhode Island, Arizona, Maryland, and Pennsylvania scored 18, indicating strong cancer care services.
• The report encourages better awareness and advocacy for affordable cancer care.

Negative

• Georgia, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin scored the lowest with only 9 points due to high costs and limited access.
• Nine of the lowest-scoring states have high out-of-pocket maximums of $8,550.
• The report indicates a significant uninsured population in the lowest-ranking states, limiting access to care.

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new ValuePenguin.com report has given Minnesota the highest rating for cancer care in the country, while three states — Wisconsin, Georgia and Oklahoma — tied at the bottom. ValuePenguin.com created a Care Score to analyze the top states for cancer care, considering the potential cost of treatment, access to care and death rates.

While there are strong and weak attributes of cancer care in every state, ValuePenguin.com analysts found two similar traits among the lowest-scoring states: high out-of-pocket maximums and the inability to qualify for cost savings on marketplace health care insurance. Here are the key findings from this report:

• Minnesota tops the country as the state with the best cancer care, earning a cancer care score of 19 points (out of a maximum of 20 points). Five states — New Mexico, Rhode Island, Arizona, Maryland and Pennsylvania — placed just below Minnesota with a score of 18, and California and Montana earned a 17. These states — along with Michigan and Alaska, which earned a 16 — have the cheapest monthly health insurance premiums compared to the rest of the U.S.
• Georgia, Oklahoma and Wisconsin placed at the bottom with a Cancer Care score of 9 points out of 20 due to the high costs of healthcare. Missouri, Wyoming, West Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Texas and Tennessee also fared poorly with a Cancer care score of just 10 points out of 20.  Unlike in the best-scoring states, affordability is an issue in almost all of these states.
• High Health insurance costs, high out-of-pocket maximums, and a lack of access to expanded Medicaid decreases access to cancer care:  Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, West Virginia, Wyoming, Missouri and Oklahoma - which scored the lowest cancer care ratings - had some of the most expensive health insurance premiums in the U.S. And in 9 out the 10 lowest scoring states, the out-of-pocket maximum is $8,550, the maximum amount allowed by law.
• States without expanded Medicaid have higher uninsured rates, and less access to cancer care: The 10 lowest scoring states haven't implemented expanded Medicaid — although Oklahoma and Missouri is set to expand later in 2021. With the exception of Tennessee, Wisconsin and Missouri, these states also have a higher than average percentage of residents who don't have any form of health insurance coverage.

According to Andrew Hurst, an Insurance Data Analyst at ValuePenguin.com, "Americans who put off getting preventative care due to worries over high healthcare costs, face the huge risk of being diagnosed with cancer at a late stage, when the disease is harder to treat, more costly and more difficult to survive." He adds, "Through this study - I aim to encourage Americans to educate themselves on the potential cost of treatment and access to care in their states, and advocate for greater access to affordable cancer care."

ValuePenguin.com developed a Care Score to evaluate states. This score combines a state's position relative to other states across five factors - the cheapest health insurance premium, the out-of-pocket maximum, the status of Medicaid expansion, the cancer death rate per 100,000 people and the number of hospitals per 100,000 people.  To view the full report, visit: https://www.valuepenguin.com/top-states-for-cancer-care

Cancer Care Score by State
Cancer Care Score	State	Cheapest Monthly Premium	Out-Of- Pocket Maximum	Medicaid Expansion	Death Rate	Hospitals per 100,000 people
19	Minnesota	$265	$6,800	Yes	143.1	5.8
18	New Mexico	$313	$8,500	Yes	136.4	6.2
18	Maryland	$339	$6,650	Yes	149.9	4.8
18	Arizona	$330	$7,750	Yes	131.9	3.5
18	Pennsylvania	$343	$6,900	Yes	156.6	2.9
18	Rhode Island	$328	$6,750	Yes	151.6	2.5
17	California	$325	$8,200	Yes	135	3.9
16	Montana	$356	$8,550	Yes	140.7	8
16	Michigan	$292	$6,500	Yes	161.1	5.4
16	Alaska	$658	$6,000	Yes	141.5	4.6
15	Idaho	$467	$8,150	Yes	149.5	10.7
15	Nebraska	$527	$8,150	Yes	150.5	8.1
15	Washington	$344	$7,350	Yes	145.3	2.7
14	North Dakota	$400	$8,550	Yes	145.2	9.6
14	Hawaii	$467	$8,500	Yes	123.5	5.1
14	Kentucky	$406	$6,850	Yes	181.6	4.6
14	Arkansas	$387	$8,400	Yes	168.8	4.6
14	Indiana	$329	$8,400	Yes	165.7	4.5
14	Ohio	$311	$8,400	Yes	165.2	3.8
14	Maine	$392	$7,800	Yes	162.1	3.6
14	New Hampshire	$325	$8,500	Yes	143.7	3.5
14	Colorado	$278	$8,550	Yes	127.6	2.7
13	Iowa	$457	$8,550	Yes	155.3	7.9
13	South Carolina	$391	$8,400	No	157.3	6.3
13	Massachusetts	$344	$8,550	Yes	142.8	4.3
13	Vermont	$574	$6,700	Yes	156	3.8
13	Utah	$443	$8,550	Yes	120	3.8
13	Virginia	$392	$8,550	Yes	149.3	3.6
13	Connecticut	$479	$8,150	Yes	134.1	3.2
13	New York	$473	$8,500	Yes	138.2	2.1
13	New Jersey	$388	$8,550	Yes	141.3	2
12	Louisiana	$407	$8,550	Yes	169	9.4
12	South Dakota	$473	$8,150	No	145.2	8.6
12	Kansas	$441	$8,400	No	156.4	7.4
12	Alabama	$509	$8,150	Yes	170.4	4.8
12	Illinois	$337	$8,550	Yes	153.5	3.3
12	Delaware	$522	$6,900	Yes	159.4	3.2
12	Nevada	$352	$8,550	Yes	146.5	2.7
11	Florida	$408	$8,550	No	141.7	4.6
11	Oregon	$402	$8,550	Yes	150.6	2.3
10	Missouri	$413	$8,550	Not implemented	165.3	6
10	Wyoming	$647	$8,550	No	140.6	5.5
10	West Virginia	$508	$8,550	Yes	179.5	5.4
10	Mississippi	$419	$8,400	No	179.7	5
10	North Carolina	$373	$8,550	No	154.2	4.9
10	Texas	$381	$8,550	No	142.9	4
10	Tennessee	$428	$7,300	No	168	4
9	Oklahoma	$476	$8,550	Not implemented	178.1	6
9	Georgia	$416	$8,550	No	152.4	4.6
9	Wisconsin	$343	$8,550	No	151.5	3.3

About ValuePenguin.com:. ValuePenguin.com and its parent company, LendingTree® (NASDAQ: TREE), have a common mission: to empower consumers with tools, information, and resources to help them make smarter, more informed financial decisions. For more information, please visit www.valuepenguin.com, like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @ValuePenguin.

Additional Information: https://www.valuepenguin.com/health-insurance 

Media Contact:
Divya Sangam (Ms.)
646 693 8445 
Divya@lendingtreenews.com

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SOURCE ValuePenguin.com

FAQ

What state has the best cancer care according to ValuePenguin.com?

Minnesota has the best cancer care, scoring 19 out of 20 points.

Which states tied for the lowest cancer care ratings?

Georgia, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin tied for the lowest cancer care ratings, scoring 9 points.

How does the Care Score evaluate cancer care in states?

The Care Score evaluates states based on health insurance premiums, out-of-pocket maximums, Medicaid expansion, cancer death rates, and hospital access.

What are the health insurance challenges in low-ranking states for cancer care?

The low-ranking states face high health insurance costs, high out-of-pocket maximums, and lack of Medicaid expansion.

What does the report suggest for Americans regarding cancer care?

The report encourages Americans to understand treatment costs and advocate for affordable cancer care.