New York State Ranks Among States with Low Medical Debt

When many of us think about New York and money, we think about debt, so this may come as a surprise to many residents of the Empire State. We are among the states with the least medical debt!

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While we may not have Hawaii's incredibly low 2.3% of citizens in debt,  our 6.08% is still pretty good! This low percentage is thanks to our state's healthcare policies. They've been working to control costs, expand Medicaid, and provide financial help for those who need it.

Maybe we've even been taking notes from neighboring Massachusetts, probably not but they seem to have a handle on  successful healthcare policies.

But let's talk about the other end of the medical debt spectrum. I don't think that I would have ever guessed that South Dakota would be struggling so much. The Mount Rushmore State had a whopping 17.66% of people struggling with medical debt? That's a major wake-up call for nationwide healthcare reforms.

The solution seems fairly obvious - we need to expand Medicaid, get more people insured, and make sure everyone can get financial assistance when they need it. It's about time, that more states get serious about this issue and follow the path from states like Hawaii and California, as they are finding ways to lighten the cost of medical debt.

This research shows that healthcare affordability is a challenge for all of us in the United States. The good news is that we have seen some promising examples of how doing the right thing can make a difference.