Missouri Health Insurance

State Rankings

Missouri has many positives when it comes to healthcare in the state, but more often than not, these are outweighed by the many negatives of Missouri state health. In the past ten years, the percentage of adult smokers has decreased from 27.2% to 21.1%, which is an excellent sign. At the same time, though, over the past five years obesity has increased from 26.9% to 31.4% of all Missourians. Over 1.4 million Missouri residents can now be classified as "obese," nearly a third of the entire adult population. Cardiovascular disease deaths have decreased by 21%, but concurrently, diabetes has increased to 9.4% of the population. These negative effects of diabetes and obesity caused Missouri's overall state health ranking to fall to 40th, according to UnitedHealthcare.

Healthcare in Missouri

There are signs that may be pointing to a bright future for Missouri healthcare, however. The same UH study cited the high rate of high school graduation in Missouri, 11th in the country at 82.4%, as well as a high use of prenatal care by mothers and the percentage of children in poverty. The percentage of uninsured Missourians is also lower than the national average, according to the Kaiser Foundation. The number of uninsured residents is also lower than the national average. While Missouri healthcare does have its current share of negative aspects, particularly in the obesity and diabetes rates, the state boasts many positives that hopefully point to a bright and healthy future for the state. Missouri has several healthcare and Medicare plans that are highly rated by the NCQA: