Illinois Health Insurance

State Rankings

Over the past twenty years, Illinois has steadily risen in the rankings of state health and has very nearly reached the top half. Currently, Illinois sits as the 28th healthiest state, thanks in large part to high instances of early prenatal care and a large number of primary care physicians. The high school graduation rate, at 15th, and occupational fatalities are also very strong. However, several glaring statistics are hurting Illinois’ chances of reaching the top half of healthy states. Air pollution is very high, as is the case in states containing one or more major metropolitan area. Binge drinking and preventable hospitalizations both rank 40th in the country. In a perfect world, these two statistics would be strongly correlated, so if binge drinking was controlled, preventable hospitalizations would decrease. Unfortunately, Illinois healthcare statistics are rarely that straightforward. Infectious disease rates and obesity rates are both very high in Illinois, contributing further to preventable hospitalizations.

Illinois Healthcare

Healthcare outcome statistics in Illinois slightly outrank determinants, suggesting that healthcare in Illinois may start to slip back down the rankings in upcoming years. This may be partly due to a low rate of public health spending in Illinois, at only $66 per person, good for 33rd in the country. The uninsured rate is only 14.5 percent, according to the Kaiser Foundation, which is well below the national average of 16%. On the whole, though, statistics for Illinois healthcare outcomes are fairly good. Its diabetes rate is average, although it has been rising in recent years. If Illinois wants to continue its trend of healthcare improvement, it must dedicate itself to improving public health funding and raising awareness of healthy behaviors. Still, Illinois residents still have a wide range of healthcare plans that are rated highly by the NCQA: