Quality Care, Close to Home: Maine Recognized for Top-Tier Healthcare

Maine is a wonderful place to live or visit, especially if you're not feeling your best or recovering from an illness or injury.

And no, that’s not just my personal bias talking (though I do love this state). There are actually some solid stats to back it up.

Maine is Ranked One of the best States for Healthcare

WalletHub.com, a personal finance website, recently published a report listing the best and worst states for healthcare. The Pine Tree State found itself right in the heart of the Top-10.

Overall, Maine was ranked 6th for healthcare, a highly respectable position for the state. It also joined three other New England states in the Top 10, showing the region’s domination in the Healthcare spectrum.

Maine finished with a score of 61.67 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring was based on three major categories: Cost, Access, and Outcomes. These categories were further broken down into 44 subcategories to enhance detail and accuracy. You can read more about the methodology here.

READ MORE: Maine’s Acadia Climbs to 7th Most Popular U.S. National Park

Maine had decent scores in both cost (22nd ranking) and outcomes (14th). However, access is where Maine truly shined. The state finished 2nd in this category. Access includes factors like the quality of hospitals, patient beds per capita, physicians per capita, and the Medicare/Medicaid acceptance rate among physicians. Essentially, Maine is the place to be if something in your body needs mending.

Frankly, this is a great relief to hear. Whether it’s for something routine or another global pandemic, it’s reassuring to know that Maine’s healthcare team is ready to take on the challenge.

However, the future is a little uncertain, especially with access. There have been gowning concerns about the health of hospitals in Maine, especially in the rural parts of the state. Let's hope these facilities can remain healthy to ensure the population gets the care it deserves.

Which New England State has the Best Healthcare?

As mentioned above, it was a strong showing for New England. New Hampshire led the entire country, with Rhode Island coming in a 2nd-place ranking. Massachusetts was 5th, Vermont in 12th, and Connecticut in 15th. That's quite a statement made by the region.

Coming in dead last was the state of Mississippi. It seems like that state is always near or at the bottom of these reports.

You can see the entire rankings here.