PR Newswire | Feb 10, 2021 10:30AM EST

02/10 09:30 CST

The Best States for Cancer Care in 2021Minnesota received ValuePenguin.com's highest Cancer Care Score, while three states tied at the bottom. NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2021

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 CheapestOut-Of-Medicaid DeathHospitals Care State Monthly Pocket Expansion Rate per 100,000Score Premium Maximum people

19 Minnesota $265 $6,800 Yes 143.15.8

18 New Mexico $313 $8,500 Yes 136.46.2

18 Maryland $339 $6,650 Yes 149.94.8

18 Arizona $330 $7,750 Yes 131.93.5

18 Pennsylvania $343 $6,900 Yes 156.62.9

18 Rhode Island $328 $6,750 Yes 151.62.5

17 California $325 $8,200 Yes 135 3.9

16 Montana $356 $8,550 Yes 140.78

16 Michigan $292 $6,500 Yes 161.15.4

16 Alaska $658 $6,000 Yes 141.54.6

15 Idaho $467 $8,150 Yes 149.510.7

15 Nebraska $527 $8,150 Yes 150.58.1

15 Washington $344 $7,350 Yes 145.32.7

14 North Dakota $400 $8,550 Yes 145.29.6

14 Hawaii $467 $8,500 Yes 123.55.1

14 Kentucky $406 $6,850 Yes 181.64.6

14 Arkansas $387 $8,400 Yes 168.84.6

14 Indiana $329 $8,400 Yes 165.74.5

14 Ohio $311 $8,400 Yes 165.23.8

14 Maine $392 $7,800 Yes 162.13.6

14 New Hampshire $325 $8,500 Yes 143.73.5

14 Colorado $278 $8,550 Yes 127.62.7

13 Iowa $457 $8,550 Yes 155.37.9

13 South Carolina$391 $8,400 No 157.36.3

13 Massachusetts $344 $8,550 Yes 142.84.3

13 Vermont $574 $6,700 Yes 156 3.8

13 Utah $443 $8,550 Yes 120 3.8

13 Virginia $392 $8,550 Yes 149.33.6

13 Connecticut $479 $8,150 Yes 134.13.2

13 New York $473 $8,500 Yes 138.22.1

13 New Jersey $388 $8,550 Yes 141.32

12 Louisiana $407 $8,550 Yes 169 9.4

12 South Dakota $473 $8,150 No 145.28.6

12 Kansas $441 $8,400 No 156.47.4

12 Alabama $509 $8,150 Yes 170.44.8

12 Illinois $337 $8,550 Yes 153.53.3

12 Delaware $522 $6,900 Yes 159.43.2

12 Nevada $352 $8,550 Yes 146.52.7

11 Florida $408 $8,550 No 141.74.6

11 Oregon $402 $8,550 Yes 150.62.3

10 Missouri $413 $8,550 Not implemented165.36

10 Wyoming $647 $8,550 No 140.65.5

10 West Virginia $508 $8,550 Yes 179.55.4

10 Mississippi $419 $8,400 No 179.75

10 North Carolina$373 $8,550 No 154.24.9

10 Texas $381 $8,550 No 142.94

10 Tennessee $428 $7,300 No 168 4

9 Oklahoma $476 $8,550 Not implemented178.16

9 Georgia $416 $8,550 No 152.44.6

9 Wisconsin $343 $8,550 No 151.53.3

About ValuePenguin.com:. ValuePenguin.com and its parent company, LendingTree(r) (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