RI Ranks as the Worst in New England to Have a Baby
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
Rhode Island is ranked as the worst state in New England to have a baby.
According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Rhode Island is ranked last in New England, but ranked 13th best in the U.S.
“One important expense to keep in mind is medical and hospital bills. According to the International Federation of Health Plans, Americans pay the highest birthing costs in the world, with the price tag of normal delivery averaging $10,808. A C-section goes up by another $5,298. Without maternity health coverage, including Medicaid, you can expect those prices to double or even triple,” said WalletHub.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn New England, Vermont ranks #1 in the U.S., New Hampshire ranks #3, Connecticut #4, Massachusetts #6, Maine #7, and RI #13.
RI’s Rankings
- T-35th Best - Highest Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges
- 14th Best - Healthcare
- 7th Best - Baby-Friendliness
- 18th Best - Family Friendliness
Overall Rankings
RI ranks directly behind Colorado and South Dakota, who rank 11th and 12th respectively. RI ranks ahead of Hawaii and Washington, who rank 14th and 15th respectively.
Vermont is ranked as the best state to have a baby, while Mississippi is ranked as the worst state to have a baby.
See the full rankings in the map below
The Method
In order to determine the best and worst states to have a baby, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key dimensions: 1) Cost, 2) Health Care, 3) Baby-Friendliness and 4) Family-Friendliness.
They evaluated those dimensions using 20 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for expectant parents and newborns.
Lastly, they determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank the states.
Cost – Total Points: 20
- Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Average Annual Cost of Early Child Care: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
- Average Health-Insurance Premiums: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Healthcare- Total Points: 40
- Infant Mortality Rate: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Maternal Mortality Ratio (per 100,000 Live Births): Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Rate of Low Birth-Weight: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Rate of Preterm Births: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Share of Children with All Seven Recommended Vaccines: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Quality of Women’s Hospitals: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Quality of Pediatric Neonatology Facilities: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Midwives & Obstetrician-Gynecologists per Capita: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
- Fertility Clinics per Capita: Quarter Weight (~0.98 Points)
- mPINC Survey Score: Full Weight (~3.90 Points)
Baby-Friendliness - Total Points: 20
- Parental-Leave Policy Score: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
- Mom Groups per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
- Child-Care Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
- Share of Nationally Accredited Child-Care Centers: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
Family-Friendliness - Total Points: 20
- Family-Friendliness: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
Related Slideshow: The Power List - Health and Education, 2016
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