Alabama 12th worst state for healthcare access, study shows

ALABAMA (WDHN) — A study from Forbes Advisor found that Alabama had the 12th worst access to healthcare in the United States across 14 metrics.

Over 100 million Americans, nearly a third of the nation, don’t have access to a usual source of primary care, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers.

In some states, accessing healthcare can be even more challenging due to higher costs, lack of coverage, and a shortage of providers.

To determine the best and worst access to healthcare, Forbes Advisor compared all 50 states across 14 metrics that reflect access to healthcare providers, access to healthcare facilities, and healthcare costs.

Alabama scored 12th-worst overall, with 8.8% of residents who are insured, and ninth-worst count of physicians per 10,000 residents, (12.94).

Utah was scored as having the worst access to healthcare in the U.S. due to "its lack of resources," including the third-lowest physicians per 10,000 residents, and third-lowest number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents, 1.7.

Nevada scored the second-worst with the absolute lowest count of physicians per 10,000 residents (10.4) and the second-lowest number of critical care nurses and certified registered nurse anesthetists per 10,000 adults (0.9). Nevada also was found to have the sixth-highest percentage of residents who lack any sort of health insurance coverage, (11.1%).

In stark contrast, Massachusetts was scored as the state with the best access to healthcare. Only 2.4% of residents are uninsured, and some of the highest amount of physicians, practitioners, and assistants per 10,000 residents.

From their website, here’s how they scored their study :

Methodology

To determine where healthcare is least accessible, Forbes Advisor compared all 50 states across the following 14 metrics:

• Number of hospital beds per 1,000 residents: 12% of score. Data comes from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), 2022.
• Number of primary care physicians per 10,000 residents: 12% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2024.
• Number of specialist physicians per 10,000 residents: 12% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2024.
• Number of nurse practitioners per 10,000 residents: 8% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2024.
• Number of physician assistants per 10,000 residents: 8% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2024.
• Percentage of need met in primary care provider shortage areas (HPSAs): 8% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2024.
• Percentage of residents who lack health insurance coverage: 6% of score. Data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 1-year American Community Survey.
• Number of community health centers per 100,000 residents: 6% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2022.
• Average annual premium for employees with single coverage through employer-provided health insurance: 5% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2022.
• Percentage of annual health insurance premium covered by employers for employees with single coverage: 5% of score. Data comes from KFF, 2022.
• The average annual deductible for employees with single coverage through employer-provided health insurance: 5% of the score. Data comes from KFF, 2022.
• Percentage of residents who chose not to see a doctor at some point in the past 12 months due to cost: 5% of score. Data comes from The CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). For this metric, we took a three-year average, using data from 2020 to 2022.
• Number of critical care physicians per 10,000 adults: 4% of score. This metric includes physicians who have completed a formal fellowship in critical care medicine. Data comes from KFF, 2020.
• Number of critical care nurses and CRNAs per 10,000 adults: 4% of score. This metric includes certified registered nurse anesthetists and nurses specifically trained in critical care. Data comes from KFF, 2020.

State population data comes from The U.S. Census Bureau, 2023.

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