\n<\/em><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a-sick-man-is-at-home-has-a-cold-and-flu-an-asia-2025-04-01-13-03-18-utc.png\")
Table of Contents<\/h4>\n
In some states<\/i>,<\/i>\u00a0a\u00a0doctor\u00a0visit is 74 percent cheaper than urgent care<\/i>;<\/i>,<\/i>\u00a0in others<\/i>,<\/i>\u00a0it is 4 times more expensive. Here\u2019<\/i>s how to know where you stand.<\/i><\/p>\n
Ever wake up sick and just\u2026\u00a0dread<\/i>\u00a0the process?\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not just the sore throat or the fever;\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the\u00a0stress\u00a0of finding a doctor, guessing the cost, and hoping you can get a prescription filled before you feel even worse.<\/p>\n
We all know that experience, but our\u00a0Sick Day Index (SDI)<\/b>\u00a0proves that this experience is radically different depending on your zip code.\u00a0Getting sick in America\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0one\u00a0experience:\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a051 different ones.<\/p>\n
The choice between a doctor and an urgent care clinic can be a simple preference in one city and a $200 mistake in another. In some states, a\u00a0doctor\u2019s\u00a0visit is 74% cheaper than urgent care; in others,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0over four times more expensive.<\/p>\n
two sick days, same symptoms, different outcomes<\/h2>\n
To see why this matters, imagine two people. They wake up on the same day with the same symptoms and the same urgent need to be seen.<\/p>\n
- \n
- Person 1 lives in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/b>\u00a0If they go to an urgent care clinic, the cash price is about $61, or 1.08% of\u00a0the area\u2019s\u00a0typical monthly income.<\/li>\n
- Person 2 lives in Springfield, Illinois.<\/b>\u00a0They feel\u00a0just as\u00a0sick, but their urgent care\u00a0stop\u00a0costs $332,\u00a0eating up\u00a06.59% of a typical monthly paycheck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Same symptoms, same day, but the financial burden\u00a0is\u00a0worlds\u00a0apart.<\/p>\n
surprising takeaways from the index<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-05-1170x566.png\" "\\"SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-05\\"")
<\/a>Top 10 states with the lowest cost burden<\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-04-1170x566.png\" "\\"SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-04\\"")
<\/a>Top 10 states with the highest cost burden<\/figure>\n- \n
- The\u00a0Top 5 states<\/b>\u00a0for an easy sick day (lowest friction) are New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.\u00a0The Bottom 5<\/b>\u00a0(most friction) are Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, New Mexico, and Vermont.<\/li>\n
- Access to a primary care doctor is a critical factor, and the disparity is stunning.\u00a0Our data shows a\u00a0nearly 4x\u00a0difference<\/b>\u00a0in physician density, from a high of 42.83 doctors\u00a0per\u00a010,000 people\u00a0in Washington, D.C.,<\/b>\u00a0to a shocking low of just 10.84 per 10,000 in Utah.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t assume urgent care is cheaper. In places like Des Moines, IA, and Baltimore, MD, seeing a doctor can be over 60% cheaper. But in Atlanta, GA, and Orlando, FL, that same choice will cost you\u2014a\u00a0doctor\u2019s\u00a0visit, which\u00a0is 167% to 348%\u00a0more<\/i>\u00a0expensive.<\/li>\n
- Getting a prescription is not\u00a0a given. We found a\u00a02.8x difference<\/b>\u00a0in pharmacy access<\/b>, from 3.38 pharmacies per 10,000 in North Dakota to a low of 1.19 per 10,000 in Oklahoma.<\/li>\n
- A state\u2019s overall rank can hide surprising strengths and weaknesses.\u00a0Mississippi (Rank 30), a state with many healthcare challenges,\u00a0actually has\u00a0the\u00a0most hospital beds per capita<\/b>\u00a0in the nation (30.41 per 10k).\u00a0Meanwhile, a wealthy state like Washington (Rank 44) is\u00a0near the bottom for bed availability<\/b>\u00a0(13.22 per 10k).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
our method: what makes a ‘sick day’ easy or hard?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/woman-on-the-phone-talking-during-illness-2025-01-08-12-52-29-utc.png\")
A woman hoping she can get a quick doctors appointment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Sick Day Index (SDI) is built to answer the questions you ask in that moment of stress: \u201cHow fast can I be seen? How much will it cost?\u00a0And how hard will it be to\u00a0actually<\/i>\u00a0get\u00a0my medicine?\u201d<\/p>\n
We folded dozens of variables from our data into five key pillars. For the final SDI score, lower is better, meaning\u00a0faster, cheaper, and easier care.\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0what we measured:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Same Day Capacity (Can I get an appointment\u00a0<\/b>today<\/i><\/b>?)<\/b>\u00a0This measures the practical ability to be seen quickly, combining physician density, urgent care sites, and hospital bed availability. As research shows, every 10\u00a0additional\u00a0primary care physicians per\u00a0100,000 people\u00a0is associated with a 51.5-day increase in life expectancy, making it the most critical measurement.<\/li>\n
- Fulfillment Access (Can I\u00a0<\/b>get<\/i><\/b>\u00a0my prescription?)<\/b> A doctor\u2019s visit is essentially useless if you can\u2019t\u00a0access the\u00a0prescriptions\u00a0you need. We used\u00a0pharmacy density as a proxy for this. When pharmacies are too few or too far, people\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0pick up their prescriptions, and studies show these closures cause persistent, clinically meaningful drops in medication adherence.<\/li>\n
- Financial Barrier (How much will this cost me?)<\/b>\u00a0This blends cash prices\u00a0for a COVID test at a doctor\u2019s office and\u00a0urgent care\u00a0with local income (HHI) and uninsured rates. A $200 bill is\u00a0not<\/i>\u00a0the same in a metro area in California (average HHI $130,730) as it is in Mississippi (average HHI $48,268).\u00a0This\u00a0is why uninsured adults are far more likely to delay or skip needed care.<\/li>\n
- Geography Friction (How far do I have to drive?)<\/b>\u00a0This score captures the penalty of distance and rurality. This is a direct function of how rural a state is.\u00a0This friction is a\u00a0top\u00a0reason why\u00a0remote rural areas have up to 57% higher rates of preventable\u00a0hospitalization.\u00a0People simply wait too long because access is too hard\u00a0or unattainable.<\/li>\n
- Digital Access (Can\u00a0telehealth\u00a0help?)<\/b>\u00a0This measures broadband and mobile network coverage. Can you reliably use telehealth?\u00a0If care is unavailable in person, can you turn to online providers to fill the gap?\u00a0Emerging evidence links broadband expansion to better health outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
where the overall sick day experience is best and worst<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-03.png\")
Top 10 and bottom 10 states SDI score.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n What do the top states\u00a0get\u00a0right? In a word: balance.<\/p>\n
A cluster of Northeastern and Great Lakes markets post the strongest scores. They combine high capacity with strong digital access and healthy pharmacy density. This \u201coperational slack\u201d takes the pressure off single weak points.<\/p>\n
- \n
- In\u00a0New York (Rank 1)<\/b>, high provider density and great broadband mean you find a slot faster. Plentiful pharmacies\u00a0and reasonable prices\u00a0mean\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0not on a second scavenger hunt to get your\u00a0prescription\u00a0and you can\u00a0likely afford\u00a0to pick it up.<\/li>\n
- In\u00a0Michigan (Rank 2)<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0New Jersey (Rank 3)<\/b>, capacity and digital access make the\u00a0start<\/i>\u00a0of the visit smooth, giving you time to manage costs instead of making a last-minute, expensive decision.<\/li>\n
- P<\/b>ennsylvania<\/b>\u00a0(Rank 4)<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Massac<\/b>husetts<\/b>\u00a0(Rank 5)<\/b>\u00a0round out the top tier, where near-universal high-speed internet combines with a deep bench of providers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When these conditions stack up, even a moderate price feels doable because the\u00a0process<\/i>\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0fall apart.<\/p>\n
state profiles revealed<\/h2>\n
Here are the full rankings for all 51 states (including D.C.).<\/p>\n
Remember:<\/strong> A lower SDI Score is better. The costs shown are cash prices for an uninsured visit for\u00a0a simple non-CDC COVID test.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-01-1.png\")
The Sick Day Index, ranked by state.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n - \n
\nSick Day Index Rank by State
\n<\/a><\/p>\n- \n
\n1. New York
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n2. Michigan
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n3. New Jersey
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n4. Pennsylvania
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n5. Massachusetts
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n6. West Virginia
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n7. Alabama
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n8. Louisiana
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n9. Missouri
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n10. Nebraska
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n11. Ohio
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n12. Tennessee
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n13. Virginia
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n14. Georgia
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n15. Connecticut
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n16. Illinois
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n17. North Dakota
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n18. Florida
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n19. Maryland
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n20. Minnesota
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n21. North Carolina
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n22. Iowa
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n23. South Dakota
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n24. Kansas
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n25. Texas
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n26. Kentucky
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n27. Wisconsin
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n28. California
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n29. Colorado
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n30. Mississippi
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n31. Montana
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n32. Idaho
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n33. Washington D.C.
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n34. Oregon
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n35. Maine
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n36. Arkansas
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n37. Rhode Island
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n38. Delaware
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n39. Wyoming
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n40. Hawaii
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n41. Oklahoma
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n42. Alaska
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n43. Arizona
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n44. Washington
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n45. Utah
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n46. Indiana
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n47. Nevada
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n48. New Hampshire
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n49. South Carolina
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n50. New Mexico
\n<\/a><\/li>\n
\n51. Vermont
\n<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe overall rank only tells part of the story. The real insights come from\u00a0why<\/i>\u00a0a state ranks where it does.\u00a0Three patterns reveal why some states struggle despite seeming advantages:<\/p>\n
The Provider Paradox in Utah (Rank 45)<\/b><\/h3>\n
At first glance, Utah\u2019s\u00a0low rank is a mystery. It has the single best \u201cSame Day Capacity\u201d score (89.78) in the entire nation, driven by\u00a0a strong\u00a0urgent care and hospital infrastructure. So why is it ranked 45th? Because it also has the single worst \u201cPhysicians Per 10,000\u201d (10.84).<\/p>\n
This is a state built for episodic, urgent issues but is failing at foundational primary care. This critical shortage of physicians creates a massive barrier, torpedoing its overall score despite its infrastructure strengths.<\/p>\n
The Rural \u201cDouble Whammy\u201d (Wyoming & Vermont)<\/b><\/h3>\n
This is the trap of being both rural and disconnected.<\/p>\n
Vermont (Rank 51) and Wyoming (Rank 39) have some of the highest Geography Friction scores (95.0 and 75.2, respectively) due to their high rural populations.\u00a0The obvious solution to this distance problem is telehealth.<\/p>\n
But these same states\u00a0also\u00a0have the worst \u201cDigital Access\u201d scores in the nation (90.14 and 92.48).\u00a0They are the states most in\u00a0need<\/i>\u00a0of a digital solution but are the least able to access it. This \u201cdouble whammy\u201d makes it\u00a0nearly impossible\u00a0to overcome the friction of distance, guaranteeing a difficult sick day experience.<\/p>\n
The Financial \u201cDouble Hitter\u201d (Texas & Florida)<\/b><\/h3>\n
This is the toxic combination of\u00a0high costs\u00a0and high uninsured rates.<\/p>\n
Texas (Rank 25) has the highest uninsured rate in the nation at 16%. This is paired with a high Financial Barrier score (57.74), driven by\u00a0high costs\u00a0relative\u00a0to income.\u00a0Florida (Rank 18) has a similar story:\u00a0a very high\u00a0uninsured rate (11%) and one of the worst \u201ccost flip\u201d scenarios, where a\u00a0doctor\u00a0visit ($280) is\u00a0nearly 3x\u00a0the cost of urgent care ($105).<\/p>\n
In these states, millions of people face the highest risk of\u00a0a massive bill\u00a0(being uninsured) in an environment where those bills are already high.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a recipe for delaying care until the problem becomes a crisis.<\/p>\n
the $200 mistake you might be making<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-02-1.png\")
Uninsured cost comparison for urgent care and the average doctor visit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Many people assume urgent care is the cheaper\u00a0option\u00a0for a quick visit. Our data shows\u00a0that\u00a0can be a dangerously expensive assumption. The \u201cright\u201d choice is entirely dependent on your zip code.<\/p>\n
When Seeing a Doctor Saves You Money\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
In many markets, the old-school doctor\u2019s visit is the clear financial winner.<\/p>\n
- \n
- In Portland, ME, the uninsured would save 74% by seeing a doctor ($63) over visiting an urgent care clinic ($243).<\/li>\n
- The same pattern holds in Baltimore, MD (62% cheaper), Des Moines, IA (66% cheaper), and Kansas City, MO (50% cheaper).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When Urgent Care Is the Better Bet\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
The reverse pattern is just as extreme, showing why this is so confusing for patients.<\/p>\n
- \n
- In\u00a0Atlanta,\u00a0GA, a physician visit costs a staggering 348%\u00a0more<\/i>\u00a0than urgent care ($273 vs. $61).<\/li>\n
- This trend also appears in Richmond, VA (205% more), Reno, NV (177% more), and Orlando, FL (167% more).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In most cases, calling both offices\u00a0is\u00a0the smartest five-minute move you can make.<\/p>\n
Why Price Burden Matters\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Price Burden combines price with income. A $200 bill\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0feel the same in every city. Our data\u00a0shows that\u00a0an uninsured\u00a0doctor\u00a0visit in Orlando eats up 5.82% of a typical monthly income. In Baltimore, that same burden is only 0.84%.<\/p>\n
This pain is amplified by the 2.71x spread in typical metro household incomes, from $48,268 in Mississippi to $130,730 in California. As\u00a0national surveys from KFF confirm<\/a>, cost is the chief reason people delay or skip needed care, leading to worse, more expensive outcomes later.<\/p>\n
capacity wins and gaps<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SickDayIndex_Infographic_Blog-06-2.png\")
Same-day capacity, by state.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Capacity is the simple, frustrating difference between getting a slot\u00a0today<\/i>\u00a0and being told \u201cour next available is in three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Our analysis revealed\u00a0staggering gaps\u00a0in this\u00a0area. Utah\u2019s \u201cSame Day Capacity\u201d score is almost four times South Dakota\u2019s (89.78 versus 23.54). This is a chasm\u00a0in\u00a0access. The problem is a combination of factors:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Physician Access<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Varies\u00a0nearly fourfold, from a low of 10.84 per 10,000 in Utah to a high of 42.83 per 10,000 in Washington, DC.<\/li>\n
- Hospital Beds<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Staffed bed availability ranges 2.3 times, from 13.04 per 10,000 in Idaho to 30.41 per 10,000 in Mississippi.<\/li>\n
- Urgent Care<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Density swings about 3.1 times from D.C. to Wyoming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A large,\u00a0multi-year study\u00a0from the JAMA Network<\/a>\u00a0found that every 10\u00a0additional\u00a0primary care physicians per\u00a0100,000 residents\u00a0is associated with a 51.5-day increase in life expectancy and meaningful reductions in mortality. Expanding primary care\u00a0literally adds\u00a0time back to people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
geography is healthcare destiny in rural america<\/h2>\n
Distance converts simple problems into complicated ones. When your nearest urgent care is tens of miles away and the weather is bad, you wait another day.<\/p>\n
Our \u201cGeography Friction\u201d pillar captures that tradeoff. In our study, rural states like Vermont, Maine, West Virginia, Mississippi, and Montana scored\u00a0highest\u00a0on friction. Vermont\u2019s friction is\u00a0roughly\u00a019\u00a0times\u00a0D.C.\u2019s.<\/p>\n
That abstract number translates into real-world pain: more time off work, more miles, more gas money, and more childcare challenges,\u00a0all of which push people to delay care.<\/p>\n
This is precisely why\u00a0rural communities show\u00a0higher rates of potentially preventable hospitalizations<\/a>\u00a0than urban ones. The patterns persist because distance and sparse options continue to shape outcomes.<\/p>\n
is telehealth the digital front solution?<\/h2>\n
Digital access turns phones and laptops into the first waiting room. The Sick Day Index revealed that Massachusetts, New Jersey, California, and Nevada have near-universal 100 Mbps coverage. This availability\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0treat an infection, but it lets people start the process faster and smarter.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0larger evidence base from NBER<\/a>\u00a0backs this up, showing that broadband expansion is associated with better health outcomes. The mechanism is twofold: it enables smarter patient choice (like finding a same-day appointment)\u00a0and\u00a0it makes telehealth practical.<\/p>\n
Systematic reviews found\u00a0that\u00a0telehealth can match in-person outcomes<\/a>\u00a0for many conditions while improving access, especially for follow-up and chronic disease support.<\/p>\n
high uninsured rates & high financial barriers<\/h2>\n
The toughest environment is a high uninsured rate stacked on top of high financial barriers.<\/p>\n
Our Sick Day Index revealed South Dakota, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida, Nevada, and Alaska as the worst offenders. These are places where people are more likely to delay or avoid care because\u00a0price\u00a0is a wall, not a speed bump.<\/p>\n
National tracking from KFF shows the same pattern. Uninsured adults are far more likely to report skipping or postponing needed care due to cost. This increases the risk of late-presenting conditions, higher acuity at arrival, and larger downstream bills that are harder to pay.<\/p>\n
pharmacy deserts<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/telyrx.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a-colorful-building-background-with-a-visible-phar-2024-12-13-14-13-44-utc.png\")
An open pharmacy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Getting seen is half the job. But you still need a nearby pharmacy with stock and reasonable hours.<\/p>\n
In our\u00a0analysis, pharmacy access swung 2.84 times, from a high of 3.38 per 10,000 in North Dakota to a low of just 1.19 per 10,000 in Oklahoma.<\/p>\n
When pharmacies close or are too far, people\u00a0fail to pick up prescriptions<\/a>. Multiple studies document this link, showing that pharmacy closures are associated with persistent and clinically significant declines in adherence to essential medications for older adults.<\/p>\n
This problem is widespread.\u00a0Research from\u00a0USC<\/a>\u00a0finds that\u00a0roughly one-third\u00a0of neighborhoods in the 30 largest U.S. cities qualify as \u201cpharmacy deserts,\u201d with closures disproportionately affecting Black and Latino neighborhoods. Nationally, an estimated\u00a048.4\u00a0million people\u00a0live in these deserts.<\/p>\n
is telehealth our perfect alternative?<\/h2>\n
On paper,\u00a0telehealth\u00a0looks like the perfect cure for the friction of a bad sick day.<\/p>\n
When\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0feeling miserable, the last thing you want to do is get in the car, drive 20 minutes, and sit in a waiting room full of other sick people\u00a0for hours.\u00a0Telehealth promises an escape from that.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0immediate,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0from\u00a0the comfort of your own\u00a0couch, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0often more transparently priced\u00a0and\u00a0affordable.\u00a0It seems like the obvious, modern solution to the very\u00a0problems\u00a0our index measures.<\/p>\n
And when you hold it up against the pillars of the Sick Day Index, telehealth seems to solve\u00a0almost every\u00a0one\u00a0of them:\u00a0It erases\u00a0geography\u00a0friction, eases capacity gaps, and lowers financial barriers.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
But telehealth is not a magic bullet.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a powerful tool that runs on a single, critical fuel:\u00a0digital access.\u00a0And this is where the system breaks down.\u00a0This creates the final, critical paradox seen in our data. The very states that\u00a0most need<\/i>\u00a0telehealth are often the\u00a0least equipped<\/i>\u00a0to use it.<\/p>\n
Without a\u00a0proper\u00a0digital infrastructure, telehealth\u00a0remains\u00a0a solution for the states that already have the fewest problems. This makes investing in\u00a0internet\u00a0access a foundational\u2014and urgent\u2014health equity issue.<\/p>\n
balance is the only solution<\/h2>\n
Ultimately, the\u00a0Sick\u00a0Day Index reveals a crucial truth: a bad healthcare experience is rarely just one problem. It is a system of compounding failures. A high\u00a0price\u00a0is made worse by a long drive.\u00a0A lack of doctors is made unbearable by a lack of\u00a0internet access\u00a0to fill the gap\u00a0with telehealth options. As our data shows, the states that perform best, like New York and Michigan,\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0perfect\u2014they are simply\u00a0balanced.<\/p>\n
The states at the bottom, like Nevada and Vermont, reveal how a single, critical failure in one pillar can torpedo the entire system. This index proves that \u201chealthcare access\u201d is not a single issue;\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a complex, interconnected web, and fixing it requires us to see it that way.<\/p>\n
\nDisclaimer<\/summary>\n
This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content provided here is not a substitute for professional medical advice, consultation, or care from a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the guidance of your physician or another licensed health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. Do not disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice based on information read on this site. Learn more about our editorial standards here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n
This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content provided here is not a substitute for professional medical advice, consultation, or care from a qualified healthcare provider. Always seek the guidance of your physician or another licensed health professional with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment. Do not disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice based on information read on this site. Learn more about our editorial standards here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
Skip the office for routine prescriptions through TelyRx.<\/h1>\n
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Your Health Insurance Is About to Get 114%…<\/a><\/h3>\n
- Hospital Beds<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Staffed bed availability ranges 2.3 times, from 13.04 per 10,000 in Idaho to 30.41 per 10,000 in Mississippi.<\/li>\n
- This trend also appears in Richmond, VA (205% more), Reno, NV (177% more), and Orlando, FL (167% more).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- In\u00a0Atlanta,\u00a0GA, a physician visit costs a staggering 348%\u00a0more<\/i>\u00a0than urgent care ($273 vs. $61).<\/li>\n
- In\u00a0Michigan (Rank 2)<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0New Jersey (Rank 3)<\/b>, capacity and digital access make the\u00a0start<\/i>\u00a0of the visit smooth, giving you time to manage costs instead of making a last-minute, expensive decision.<\/li>\n
- Fulfillment Access (Can I\u00a0<\/b>get<\/i><\/b>\u00a0my prescription?)<\/b> A doctor\u2019s visit is essentially useless if you can\u2019t\u00a0access the\u00a0prescriptions\u00a0you need. We used\u00a0pharmacy density as a proxy for this. When pharmacies are too few or too far, people\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0pick up their prescriptions, and studies show these closures cause persistent, clinically meaningful drops in medication adherence.<\/li>\n
- Access to a primary care doctor is a critical factor, and the disparity is stunning.\u00a0Our data shows a\u00a0nearly 4x\u00a0difference<\/b>\u00a0in physician density, from a high of 42.83 doctors\u00a0per\u00a010,000 people\u00a0in Washington, D.C.,<\/b>\u00a0to a shocking low of just 10.84 per 10,000 in Utah.<\/li>\n
- Person 2 lives in Springfield, Illinois.<\/b>\u00a0They feel\u00a0just as\u00a0sick, but their urgent care\u00a0stop\u00a0costs $332,\u00a0eating up\u00a06.59% of a typical monthly paycheck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n