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HomePolicyDoctors Practicing in Red States Have It Much Better than Doctors in Blue States

Doctors Practicing in Red States Have It Much Better than Doctors in Blue States

A doctor puts his hand over his chest during a "House call" rally against proposed healthcare reform legislation at the Capitol in Washington November 5, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)
A doctor puts his hand over his chest during a "House call" rally against proposed healthcare reform legislation at the Capitol in Washington November 5, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

A doctor puts his hand over his chest during a “House call” rally against proposed healthcare reform legislation at the Capitol in Washington November 5, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

A new study finds all but 1 the best 10 states for doctors to practice medicine in are Republican states, while all of the 10 worst states are Democratic states. WalletHub compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 16 key metrics in order to help doctors decide where to practice, and the results are noteworthy.

Not a single Republican voted for ObamaCare and most Republican states opted out of the Medicaid expansion provision in the signature Democratic legislation. With young doctors coming out of medical school with an average student loan debt of more than $190,000 in 2017, the bill has asked them to provide their skills and services for a reduced cost.

First, let’s take a look at the entire table.

Overall Rank
(1=Best)
State Total Score ‘Opportunity & Competition’ Rank ‘Medical Environment’ Rank
1 South Dakota 75.97 3 1
2 Nebraska 70.66 7 3
3 Idaho 70.64 1 17
4 Iowa 70.16 2 16
5 Minnesota 69.94 9 4
6 Wisconsin 69.84 6 7
7 Kansas 68.86 8 9
8 Montana 68.01 5 13
9 North Dakota 65.19 14 11
10 Wyoming 64.88 4 35
11 Alabama 62.50 11 31
12 Mississippi 62.24 10 43
13 Arizona 62.10 12 32
14 Colorado 61.95 18 12
15 Tennessee 61.77 16 24
16 Utah 60.92 17 20
17 Maine 60.70 32 2
18 South Carolina 60.25 19 21
19 Washington 58.59 20 26
20 Georgia 58.31 22 22
21 West Virginia 58.24 13 45
22 Nevada 57.40 15 47
23 Arkansas 56.99 25 25
24 North Carolina 56.86 35 8
25 Indiana 56.82 27 23
26 Alaska 56.37 39 5
27 Louisiana 56.11 21 37
28 Texas 55.55 33 14
29 New Mexico 54.16 24 40
30 Florida 54.08 29 34
31 Missouri 53.90 26 38
32 Pennsylvania 53.25 31 36
33 Kentucky 53.07 23 46
34 Vermont 52.93 42 6
35 Michigan 52.83 36 27
36 Oklahoma 52.53 34 28
37 New Hampshire 52.32 28 44
38 Virginia 51.05 40 29
39 Delaware 49.03 37 39
40 Ohio 48.99 38 42
41 Connecticut 48.94 44 15
42 Illinois 48.86 30 51
43 California 47.82 46 18
44 Maryland 47.82 41 41
45 Oregon 47.71 47 19
46 Massachusetts 46.59 43 33
47 District of Columbia 45.75 51 10
48 Hawaii 43.25 50 30
49 New York 41.39 49 48
50 Rhode Island 40.86 45 50
51 New Jersey 40.24 48 49

One of the major complaints regarding ObamaCare was that it would increase competition among consumers, not providers. According to WalletHub, the best 5 states for projected competition by 2024 include 4 red states and 1 purple state (Nevada), while the worst 5 are all blue states.

The best 5 states for the highest annual wages (adjusted for cost of living) are all red states, while the bottom 5 worst are all blue states. It’s worth noting that doctors’ wages in the most extreme leftwing states for healthcare are the worst, while those in extreme red states have it the best.

Highest Average Annual Wage Lowest Average Annual Wage
Mississippi Oregon
South Dakota California
Iowa New York
Georgia Hawaii
Tennessee District of Columbia

* Adjusted for cost of living

In other words, doctors are being forced to compete over more for less money, otherwise known in the free market as profit inventive. There is a 10-time difference between the 5 best and worst states on these two metrics.

We’ll leave you with their infographic below.

artwork-2018-best-worst-states-doctors-v1

Source: WalletHub

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