Oklahoma health care ranked nearly the worst in the nation
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Texas is one of the worst states for children’s health care, study shows. See full ranking
Texas had the highest percentage of uninsured children in the country. The state also had the nation’s highest share of children with unaffordable medical bills. WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, across 33 key measures of cost, quality and access to children’s health care. Texas also came second-to-last in the “kids’ health” and “access to health care” category. The Lone Star State scored lower than all but one state, Mississippi.
Even though 95% of kids in the U.S. have health insurance, it doesn’t come cheap. Those who qualify for employer-sponsored family coverage still pay an average of nearly $6,300 every year. Government-assistance programs such as Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide relief to some families, but more do not qualify.
Other factors like the quality of a health care system, access to healthy food, and availability of fluoridated water can also have a significant influence on a child’s health. WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia, across 33 key measures of cost, quality and access to children’s health care.
“The quality of children’s health care should be one of the most important considerations for parents when deciding where to live.” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “Having access to quality pediatric and dental care, nutritious food and good spaces for recreation from a young age can give children a much better chance of growing up healthy and forming good habits that will last into their adult life.”
How did children’s health care in Texas measure up against other states? We’ll be honest, the state’s system is in poor health.
Texas is 2nd-worst state for children’s health care, highest share of uninsured children
Unfortunately, the Lone Star State didn’t score very high on WalletHub’s study — in fact, it scored lower than all but one state, Mississippi.
In addition to overall rank, Texas also came second-to-last in the “kids’ health and access to health care” category. It had the highest percentage of uninsured children in the country, eight times more than Massachusetts which had the lowest share. The state also had the nation’s highest share of children with unaffordable medical bills (twice as much as Rhode Island, which had the lowest percentage). Texas also had the fourth-lowest share of children with “excellent/very good health.”
Overall rank: 50 out of 51
50 out of 51 Total score: 40.72
40.72 Kids’ health & access to health care rank: 50
50 Kids’ nutrition, physical activity & obesity rank: 31
31 Kids’ oral health rank: 40
LIST: Best states for children’s health care in 2025
Is Oklahoma’s health care system ranked among the lowest in the nation?
Oklahoma’s health care system is ranked among the worst according to US News and The Commonwealth Fund. Both outlets created their rankings by using government and publicly available data from 2019 to 2024. Oklahoma Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Support our publication Every day we strive to produce journalism that matters.
Oklahoma’s health care system is ranked among the worst according to US News and The Commonwealth Fund. Both outlets created their rankings by using government and publicly available data from 2019 to 2024.
US News’s 2024 review places Oklahoma 49th out of 50 states, reflecting the state’s low rankings along the metrics of health care access, health care quality, and public health respectively. The outlet found Oklahoma’s population without health insurance, number of preventable hospital admissions, and obesity rate to be 5.5%, 111%, and 6.4% higher than the national numbers.
The Commonwealth Fund’s 2023 review also ranks Oklahoma at 49th. In addition to uninsured adults, the outlet found the number of premature avoidable deaths and potentially avoidable emergency department visits among senior Medicare beneficiaries in Oklahoma to be consistently higher than the national average. The review cites the COVID-19 pandemic as impacting health care system performances nationwide.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Oklahoma Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.
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The five worst states for women are in the South, study says. See where Tennessee ranks
The Volunteer State is in the bottom half of the best states for women to live in the U.S., according to WalletHub. Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina were the only states to rank above Tennessee at No. 22, No. 33 and No. 32 respectively. Women’s History Month started as a California “Women’s History Week” in 1978 to be celebrated during the week of March 8 to correspond with Intranational Women’s Day. In 2025, the theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations,” which honors educators, mentors and leaders. The theme honors women who are educators, mentors and leaders, according to the National Women’s history Alliance. The colors of purple, white and green are the colors of International Women’s day and Social and Political Union (WSPU) Women’s colors originated from the UK in 1908, and green is the color of purity and dignity. The color of purple represents the cause of justice.
In the spirit of Women’s History Month, WalletHub identified the best and worst states for women to live in, specifically studying two categories: “Women’s economic & social well-being” and “women’s health care & safety”
WalletHub studied all 50 states, plus Washington D.C.
The study used 25 metrics to measure how well women can thrive across the U.S. In the economic and well-being category, WalletHub looked at female employees’ median earnings, female rates of poverty, the share of women-owned businesses, high school graduation rates and more.
In the women’s healthcare and safety category, experts looked at abortion access, the quality of women’s hospitals, obesity and suicide rates, as well as the female homicide rate. Across all the metrics, each state was ranked out of 100 total points.
Tennessee ranks as No. 36 best state for women
The Volunteer State is in the bottom half of the best states for women to live in the U.S., according to WalletHub. Out of the 100 offered points, Tennessee has a score of 51.42 and ranked at No. 36 overall.
In the economic and social well-being category, Tennessee is listed at No. 26, landing between Nebraska and New Mexico.
Tennessee ranked at No. 45 in terms of health care and safety. Tennessee has one of the most restrictive abortion policies; it is nearly completely outlawed with very few exceptions. The state adopted its abortion policy in August 2022, following Roe. V. Wade being overturned in June 2022.
Though in the bottom half of U.S. states, Tennessee ranked well in the best states for women survey compared to many other Southern states. Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina were the only states to rank above Tennessee at No. 22, No. 33 and No. 32 respectively. Alabama at No. 46, Georgia at No. 43 and South Carolina came in at No. 39.
Additionally, the five worst states for women are all located in the South.
What are the best states for women in the U.S.?
No. 1: Massachusetts
Massachusetts No. 2: Minnesota
Minnesota No. 3: District of Colombia
District of Colombia No. 4: New York
New York No. 5: Maryland
What are the worst states for women in the U.S.?
No. 47: Texas
Texas No. 48: Lousiana
Lousiana No. 49: Arkansas
Arkansas No. 50: Oklahoma
Oklahoma No. 51: Mississippi
Why is Women’s History Month in March?
Women’s History Month started as a California “Women’s History Week” in 1978 to be celebrated during the week of March 8 to correspond with Intranational Women’s Day, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
Two years later in 1980, women’s groups, historians and the National Women’s History Project (now called the National Women’s History Alliance) successfully lobbied for national recognition of Women’s History Week. President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring National Women’s History Week to be the week of March 8, 1980, according to the National Women’s History Museum.
It wasn’t until 1987 that Congress designated March as Women’s History Month. Each year, the President proclaims March as Women’s History Month.
What is the 2025 theme for Women’s History Month?
Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance designates a theme for Women’s History Month. In 2025, the theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.”
The theme honors women who are educators, mentors and leaders, according to the NWHA.
What are the colors of Women’s History Month?
Women’s History Month is often marked with purple, white and green, the official colors of International Women’s Day. Purple represents justice, dignity and loyalty to the cause, green is the color of hope and white is the color of purity.
The colors originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908, according to the Intranational Women’s Day campaign site.
When is International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. Though International Women’s Day is marked worldwide, it is not a national holiday in the U.S.
Source: https://oklahomavoice.com/briefs/oklahoma-health-care-ranked-nearly-the-worst-in-the-nation/