5 things to know about physician access to care — 10 highest, lowest access states

Here are five things to know about patient access to care based on a report from Merritt Hawkins and reported in Medscape.

1. Massachusetts leads access to care, but Boston reported among the longest wait times for physician appointments. Massachusetts has the most physicians per 100,000 population.

2. The states with the greatest access to physicians were:

• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• Delaware
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Maine
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts

3. The bottom 10 states for access to care include:

• Florida
• Louisiana
• Arkansas
• Georgia
• Montana
• Mississippi
• Texas
• New Mexico
• Nevada
• Oklahoma

4. Six of the 10 states with the lowest access to care didn't expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act; only one of the 10 states with the highest access to care didn't expand Medicaid eligibility.

5. The report found "economic progress" was the most effective way to increase access to physicians in states with big barriers to care; the more affluent states had the best access where less affluent states had the least access.

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