By admin 
A recent study has ranked California the third-worst state to get sick in, based on measures of recovery from illness.
Read more Auburn mayor filed after regular election deadline. Why city says she still qualified
States were evaluated based on hospital quality, nurse and physician supply, insurance affordability, hospital availability, readmission rates and air quality. Each state was given a percentile score for each category based on how they performed compared to others. States were then ranked by their average across variables and given an Illness Recovery Index Score.
California ranked third worst on the list with a score of 5.76 out of 10. The study noted that while the state has cutting-edge hospitals, they are offset by the low ratio of medical facilities to its large population. California has 0.009 hospitals for every one thousand people, the fifth-lowest ratio of any state. Additionally, it only has 0.9 hospital beds per one thousand people.
The study, conducted by Salt Lake City-based healthcare staffing firm Nursa, also found that California patients had a hospital readmission rate of 14.6% and that residents had to work an average of 12.6 hours to earn enough to cover a monthly insurance premium. For comparison, residents of New Hampshire — ranked the 12th best state to get sick in — have to work 9.1 hours on average to cover their monthly premium.
Utah was listed as the worst state to get sick in with a score of 5.32. The state’s score was hurt by its poor air quality, generally considered the worst in the nation due to its mountain range which traps pollution. Utah had an air quality index score of 51.2/500, with a higher score representing worse air quality.
Read more 2 fires grow on Big Sur coast, closing Hwy. 1 and prompting more evacuations in California
The second-worst state was Georgia with an Illness Recovery Index score of 5.49. It also had the second-worst air quality behind Utah with an air quality index of 48.2/500 and lower staffing at 7.6 nurses and 3 physicians per one thousand people.
Several rural states ranked higher than some urban counterparts. They included North Dakota, listed as the best state to get sick-in with a score of 8.82, and third-best, South Dakota, with a score of 8.41. The study attributed this to strong hospital availability, lower readmission rates, and affordable care relative to income.
Nursa used 2024 data (the most recent year with data available) from several government agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Bureau of Labor Statistics and HealthCare.gov. The study evaluated all 50 states; Washington D.C. and the American territories were left out.
Read more Suspect in 2025 homicide of Sacramento woman dies in Mexico, police say
The full data from Nursa’s study can be found here.