Compare Healthcare Grade of Maryland to Florida

Healthcare Data Compare Healthcare Grade of Maryland to Florida

Healthcare grades: The Commonwealth Fund

The Commonwealth Fund grades all states on access to healthcare, avoidable hospital use and costs, healthy lives, and prevention and treatment. For example, Pennsylvania ranks 12 on access: nearly

percent of nonelderly adult patients are insured and 92% of children. Florida has around 74% and Maryland around 83% of adults insured and 82 and 91% of children, approximately. In Pennsylvania, 86% of at-risk adults have had a checkup within two years versus 87 and 88% in Florida and Maryland respectively; 90% of patients in PA have not had to forego seeing a physician within the last two years because of cost versus 84% in Florida and 89% in Maryland (approximately). The low rates of insurance coverage in Florida reflect higher unemployment and poverty rates, combined with a higher percentage of workers who labor part-time and do not receive employer-provided insurance, the predominant method of coverage in the U.S. Greater concerns about costs of going to a physician in Florida reflect how a lack of insurance can act as a deterrent to going to the doctor.

In terms of prevention and care, interestingly enough, Maryland had the highest rates of adults over 50 (49%) who received recommended preventative screening, versus Pennsylvania's 43% and Florida's 40%, and these statistics were also true of adult diabetics (although no data was available for 2009 for Maryland). In terms of children who received vaccinations in 2009, Maryland's rate was not available but the extant data suggested almost half of children received all of the suggested vaccinations, versus 47 (PA) and 45 (FL) in 2009 (earlier vaccination rates were even lower for these states). Children who received preventative medical and dental visits were 78% (PA) and 75% (MD), but only 64% in Florida. Florida's much lower rates of childhood care could be explained by the fact that the poor seldom have transportation to engage in regular visits to primary caregivers (even pediatricians), although its low rates of coverage of the elderly are somewhat surprising, given the high rates of elderly persons who live in the state.

Preventative care as provided by physicians, of course, is only part of the 'equation' of health: not smoking and preventing obesity are also important. In Florida, 33% of all children are obese versus 28 and 29%, roughly speaking in Pennsylvania and Maryland. 20% of all Floridians smoke, versus 17% in Maryland and 21% in Pennsylvania. Smoking rates have generally shown a downward trend in the U.S., thanks to aggressive campaigns against smoking in the popular media. However, the obesity rate for both adults and children has been steadily climbing up. A lack of access to healthy food and time and space to exercise, particularly in low-income areas has been blamed, coupled with cultural factors that may normalize obesity within some communities. Maryland can be proud that its infant mortality rate is relatively low, at 17%, compared with PA and FL's rates, which hover around 20 and 21%.

In terms of potentially preventable hospital admissions, Maryland's rates of admission per 100,000 for childhood asthma is lower than Florida (no data is available for Pennsylvania) -- 143 versus 153. This could be explained according to climate -- but Maryland's rates of adult admission (16) are higher than Florida's of 14. 30 day Medicare patient hospital readmission rates are virtually the same in Maryland and Pennsylvania at 19, and 17 for Florida.