North Carolina Has Most Expensive Healthcare In The Country, Report Says

It’s no secret that Americans are increasingly uneasy about the rising cost of staying healthy. A recent report from Forbes Advisor showed that North Carolina is the country’s least affordable state for healthcare.

In the study, each state received a number score based on nine metrics, with 100 representing the highest costs. N.C. received 100 out of 100 points. The next highest state was South Dakota, with 93.41 out of 100 points.

N.C. earned its place at the top of the list for a few key factors. In particular, the Forbes report showed that health insurance coverage provided to N.C. workers resulted in some of the highest premiums and deductibles in the nation.

The nine factors used in the Forbes study included the following:

• Average annual premium for employees with single coverage through employer-provided health insurance.
• Average annual premium for employees with plus one coverage through employer-provided health insurance.
• Average annual premium for employees with family coverage through employer-provided health insurance.
• Average annual deductible for employees with family coverage through employer-provided health insurance.
• Average annual deductible for employees with single coverage through employer-provided health insurance.
• Average individual health insurance premium for a silver-tier health plan.
• Percentage of adults who chose not to see a doctor at some point in the past 12 months due to cost.
• Percentage of adults reporting 14 or more mentally unhealthy days a month who could not see a doctor at some point in the past 12 months due to cost.
• Percentage of children whose families struggled to pay their child’s medical bills in the past 12 months.

NC health insurance costs

Residents of the state paid the highest premiums in the country for residents with “plus-one” health insurance coverage through employers, spending an average of $4,781 annually. Workers with family health insurance coverage through employers pay the second-highest average premiums in the country at roughly $7,180 annually, with deductibles in the same category averaging approximately $4,062.

Deductibles for residents with single health insurance coverage through employers weren’t much better — N.C. ranked 11th highest, averaging around $2,268 annually.

Most expensive states for healthcare

The complete Forbes Advisor list of the most expensive states for healthcare includes:

• North Carolina
• South Dakota
• Nebraska
• Florida
• Texas
• South Carolina
• Arizona
• Georgia
• New Hampshire
• Louisiana

SOURCE