A new report released by WalletHub puts Nevada at the bottom of the list for worst states for children's health care.
WalletHub's analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key metrics. Metrics included overall health, infant and child death rates, number of vaccinated children, number of doctors/pediatricians, cost of doctor visits, health-food access and number of fast-food restaurants, number of children who exercise daily, and dental health.
The top 5 states are:
1. Vermont
2. Massachusetts
3. Connecticut
4. Iowa
5. New Hampshire
The bottom 5 states are:
47. Texas
48. Alaska
49. Arizona
50. Mississippi
51. Nevada
Breakdown of findings for the state of Nevada:
50th – % of Children Aged 0–17 in Excellent/Very Good Health
51st – % of Uninsured Children Aged 0–17
51st – % of Children Aged 0–17 with Unaffordable Medical Bills
44th – Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita
40th – % of Obese Children Aged 10–17
51st – % of Children Aged 1–17 with Excellent/Very Good Teeth
51st – % of Children Aged 0–17 with Medical & Dental Preventive-Care Visits in Past Year
The study also that while more kids are insured today than at any point in history, the higher coverage rate hasn't translated to lower costs for parents. Per-capita spending on children's health care reached $2,600 in 2014, an increase of more than 5 percent every year since 2010.
