What cities spend the most on health care and which ones spend the least?

For many people, a lot of thought goes into choosing a city to live in. After all, it is important to consider climate, the population density, safety, economic outlook, and other things when thinking about where to move to. Luckily, living in the United States, we have a vast array of options to choose from. We could live in a tropical paradise like Honolulu, or we could live in a mountainous terrain like Denver. We could live in a bustling metropolis like Chicago, or we could live out on the prairie in Dodge City.

Something that most people do not consider when researching various cities, however, is health insurance costs. While you might think that health care costs would be spread out evenly, they aren’t. There are a few cities that spend much more than the rest on health care. On the other hand, there are other cities that spend very little on health care. So, which cities spend the most on health care and which ones spend the least?

One of the cities that spends the most on health care is New York City. A primary reason that New York City spends so much on health care is simply because of its population size. Since New York City is so big, there are bound to be a lot people that are disabled, have very rare diseases, or simply need to be cared for more than others. These people, although not by fault of their own, drive up the average dollar amount spent on each person. In addition, New York City has first rate medical facilities.  Maintaining such state-of-the-art treatment centers is not a cheap thing to do.

Another reason why big cities often see higher health care costs is because they are havens for pollutants. Because of the skyscapers trapping air in the city center, smog and pollutants tend to stay in the air longer. This is simply because the pollutants do not have anywhere to go. All of these pollutants in the air make it harder for people to breath and cause other costly health problems that will ultimately drive the average up.

Los Angeles, California is another city that spends a large amount on health care. Like New York City, Los Angeles is a very large city, so the chances of running into an unusual, costly disease are much higher. While New York City has bad pollution, Los Angeles takes it to a new level. Los Angeles has some of the worst smog in the United States. This is largely in part to two factors: Los Angeles is so spread out that almost everybody has a car (and needs a car) and the city is located in a basin which keeps pollutants around for a very long time.

Here is the Top 10 List For Cities That Spend The Most On Health Care (annual costs)

1. Washington, DC -$8295
2. Boston – $6683
3. New York -$6535
4. Newark, NJ – $5807
5. Miami – $5483
6. St Petersburg, FL – $5483
7. Chicago – $5293
8. Los Angeles – $4638
9. Corpus Christi, TX – $4601
10. Plano, TX – $4601

As for cities that have low costs on health care, Portland, Oregon makes the list. Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest that has a relatively small population as far as metropolitan areas go. This small population makes it much easier for the city to control their health care costs. Also, Portland is known for being an active town where many people enjoy bike riding and hiking. Since Portland is such an active town with relatively healthy residents, fewer citizens of the city require costly health care procedures.

Des Moines, Iowa, along with the rest of the state spends a relatively low amount on health care. Iowa is located in the Midwest and boasts low pollution in conjunction with a low population density. Low pollution keeps people from developing health problems, while low population density makes it much harder for diseases to spread. Both of these factors make it much easier for this Midwestern state to maintain a low cost of health care.

Here is the Top 10 List For Cities That Spend The Least On Health Care (annual costs)

1. Ogden, UT – $2623
2. Dubuque, IA – $2719
3. Fayetteville, AR – $2762
4. Fort Smith, AR – $2916
5. Laredo, TX – $2919
6. Amarillo, TX – $2942
7. McAllen, TX – $2950
8. Salt Lake City – $2979
9. Fargo, ND – $2996
10. Sioux City, IA – $3025

To see a more in-depth look into the average health insurance costs of major US cities, check out this article published by the Huffington Post.

A lot of cities tend to have extremely high health care costs. The city you live in might even be at the top of the list! This, however, does not mean that you as an individual has to spend a large amount for health care. Shop around and see what you can get. A lot of websites, including this one, offer free tools for you to compare health insurance costs to find the cheapest rates for you and your family. Happy shopping!