In the U.S., the privatised healthcare system is largely funded by businesses. Here, the employer-provided healthcare plan costs are expected to rise by an average of 5.6 percent in 2023.
The impact of this increase partly rests on the necessity of claiming. The personal-finance website WalletHub has reviewed 2023’s ‘Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America’.
Health can be assessed using different measures and a combination of these measures is required to truly understand the health of a given community. To identify the places where health is a priority, WalletHub compared more than 180 of the largest U.S. cities across 43 key metrics. The data set ranges from the cost of a medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption to the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated.
The output reveals the top ten healthiest cities to be:
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Seattle, WA
3. Honolulu, HI
4. San Diego, CA
5. Salt Lake City, UT
6. Portland, OR
7. Washington, DC
8. Minneapolis, MN
9. Denver, CO
10. Irvine, CA
In contrast, the unhealthiest cities were found to be:
173. Corpus Christi, TX
174. Laredo, TX
175. Fayetteville, NC
176. Memphis, TN
178. Augusta, GA
179. Columbus, GA
180. Shreveport, LA
181. Gulfport, MS
182. Brownsville, TX
Within the data set there are some interesting patterns. For example, Fremont, California, has the lowest share of physically unhealthy adults, 6.20 percent, which is 2.8 times lower than in Newark, New Jersey, the city with the highest at 17.60 percent. Another key metric is with healthy lifestyle diets. With these, Portland, Maine, has the lowest share of adults eating fruit less than once daily, 32 percent, which is 1.6 times lower than in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the city with the highest at 52.60 percent.
In consideration of the price charged to be see a physician, here Laredo, Texas, has the lowest cost per doctor’s visit, $65.00, which is 3.6 times less expensive than in Juneau, Alaska, the city with the highest at $235.22. Another cost measure is gym membership. Glendale, Arizona, has the lowest average monthly cost for a fitness-club membership, $15.00, which is 7.1 times less expensive than in Juneau, Alaska, the city with the highest at $106.88.
Commenting on the data, Amy L. McGuire, JD, Ph.D. who is the Director at the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, says that an important measure of health equality relates to ability to access services. McGuire notes: “For those with specific medical conditions, it is important to consider whether you can easily access the medical care you need. For more general health concerns, one of the most important things to look for is whether the city allows getting outside and exercising. Are there green spaces, parks, and/or safe streets with sidewalks?”
She adds: “Also, health is as much about mental and emotional well-being as it is about physical well-being, so it is also important to reflect on whether this is a city where you can feel at home. Is it close to friends and family who enhance your life? Is it the kind of place where you can readily incorporate your passions and preferences (or hobbies) into your daily life?”
