Connecticut Ranks Second Among States in Women's Health, Analysis Finds

A new analysis ranks Connecticut as the second best state in the nation for women’s health, just behind Massachusetts and ahead of Hawaii, New York, Vermont, Minnesota, New Jersey, California, New Hampshire and Maryland, which round out the top ten.

In order to determine the best states for women’s health, the website SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Health & Living Standards, 2) Health Care Policies & Support Systems and 3) Safety Risk.  Connecticut ranked 4th in Health & Living Standards, 3rd in Safety, and 13th in Health Care Policies & Support Systems, in addition to the overall runner-up ranking among the states.

The analysis also noted that nationwide, more than one-third of women report skipping needed medical care because of costs, as reported by the Commonwealth Fund.

The nonprofit website evaluated those dimensions using 18 relevant metrics, including the uninsured rate, preventative health care, domestic violence support services, affordability of a doctor’s visit, and health and wellness charities.  Data sources included the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United Health Foundation, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

In addition to the overall ranking, Connecticut topped the list for Highest Quality Women’s Hospitals and ranked third in Highest Women’s Life Expectancy at Birth, according to the research by SmileHub.