Children’s Health Care in Indiana Ranks Among the Worst in the Country

You don't have to look very hard to find all kinds of "best or worst of" reports and/or studies published just about every day, most of which are fairly silly or inconsequential. Sure, it's fun to see what states are the nicest, cleanest, or whatever other kind of 'est' you can think of - but those really don't mean anything in the grand scheme of life. Healthcare, on the other hand, is a slightly more serious topic, especially when it comes to children's health care.

WalletHub.com releases reports like this on a weekly basis, some I couldn't care less about, and some that really grab my attention - like this one. The study ranks the best and worst states for children's health care. As a lifelong Hoosier, I was disappointed to see that Indiana was nearly at the bottom of the list.

Indiana Is 2023’s 5th Worst State for Children’s Health Care

Yep, Indiana landed at #57 on the list - only Wyoming, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi were worse - but what does that actually mean? How were these rankings determined Each state was scored in the following three main categories, with dozens of subcategories for each. See the full report if you want to get lost in the numbers:

• Kids’ Health & Access to Health Care (Indiana ranked 48th)
• Kids’ Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity (Indiana ranked 17th)
• Kids’ Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity (Indiana ranked 37th)

Sorry, Kentucky, You're Not Much Better

I know there is a friendly rivalry between Indiana and Kentucky, especially down here along the Ohio River, but neither one of our states has anything to write home to mom about when it comes to children's healthcare. Kentucky wound up at #45 on the list (just two spots higher than Indiana, and in the three main categories they ranked 41st, 50th, and 18th, respectfully.

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Scroll over the map below to see how the rankings for the rest of the country.