How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets

Massachusetts families are spending 8% of their monthly income on health care, according to a new study. That puts the Bay State toward the higher end of the scale, coming in at No. 12 in the country.

The analysis from personal finance website WalletHub examined where people are spending the most and the least on health care.

Alaska was No. 1 in the U.S., spending over 10% of their income on health care. On the other end of the scale, Utah residents spend 5% of their income on health care.

“Sharp increases in health care costs in recent years have made it difficult for some people to seek essential care,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “Even in states with lower-than-average health care prices, residents’ incomes may not be enough to keep up with the cost, especially since virtually every part of Americans’ budgets have been impacted by inflation over the past few years.”

To determine how much families are spending, WalletHub analyzed the prices of five key health care components across all 50 states, then combined those costs and compared them with each state’s median household income.

Read more: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking

Massachusetts spends the most on health care compared to other states in the region, according to the study. Vermont is the next-highest state in the Northeast, ranking at No. 14 with residents spending 7.98% of their income on health care.

Here are the top 10 states where people are spending the most on health care:

1. Alaska
2. Oregon
3. Maine
4. Mississippi
5. West Virginia
6. New Mexico
7. North Carolina
8. Montana
9. South Dakota
10. Louisiana

Check out the full study at WalletHub.