Per capita spending on health care: 13 states at the bottom

Health care is a huge part of the American economy, but the 50 states are not all equal in health care spending.

That stands to reason, because the 50 states and Washington, D.C., differ in size and population. But per capita spending does not necessarily follow population — more people does not guarantee greater spending per patient.

A new study, “Tracking U.S. Health Care Spending by Health Condition and County” was published Feb. 14 in JAMA. Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) compiled data for 3,110 counties by four payers, 148 health conditions, 38 age and sex groups, and seven types of care. There were billions of claims involved in the analysis.

This slideshow presents the bottom baker’s dozen of states with the lowest per capita spending. Slides show their ranks among the 50 states for per person spending, total spending as of 2019, spending per person range, and out-of-pocket payments range.

All data come from the study and its accompanying state-level data sheets.