Is Louisiana G-d's Waiting Room?

 

So many of my clients are retiring and looking to move out of Ohio.  There are too many reasons to list as to why they want to leave, but the eternal question is “WHERE?”.   I have clients looking at Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Central America.  There is a certain romanticism to the thought of being an Ex-Pat.  Cost of living, politics, and access to health care all factor into these decisions.  Most of my clients will stay in the U.S.  In fact, many will look elsewhere but will stay here in Ohio either because they have weighed the options and made the positive decision to stay or due to inertia.  With Ohio’s population growing at less than 50% of the U.S. average, our governor and legislators don’t really care why you stay.  They are just glad you are here. 

But let’s say that you are thinking about moving.  Becker’s Payer Issues has released a new report listing the best and worst states for Medicare.  This is the link.  The table also includes the District of Columbia. 

“The healthcare research foundation evaluated states on criteria spanning four domains: access to care, quality of care, costs and affordability, and population health. These performance indicators draw from CMS, federal surveys and other public data sources. The Commonwealth Fund ranked states according to how well Medicare was working based on those indicators. The organization mostly reviewed data from 2023 through 2025.” 

There are a few surprises in the list.  The first five states are Vermont, Utah, Minnesota, Rhode Island, and Colorado.  You were hoping for a beach and warm temperatures.  In a Chamber of Commerce moment, Ohio ranks 25^th.  Florida came in #40, just a touch better than Alaska (Polar bears may or may not have factored into this report).  If you have been reading these blogs over the last 15+ years, you know which states were the worst.      

     41. Alaska

     42. Georgia

     43. New Mexico

     44. Alabama

     45. West Virginia

     46. Texas

     47. Arkansas

     48. Oklahoma

     49. Kentucky

     50. Mississippi

     51. Louisiana

Residence of these states have the lowest life expectancy, and the highest rates of uninsured.  It may be reasonable to ask if Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, is representing G-d’s Waiting Room. 

My advice is to learn to ski and move to Vermont or to stay in Ohio and hope that climate change improves our weather. 

Dave 

Health Insurance Issues With Dave

Picture – Some Of Us Will Stay – David L Cunix