South Dakota ranked second most expensive state for healthcare

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Medical bills and the cost of healthcare can cause financial worries for Americans everywhere, but the wallets of South Dakotans are especially feeling the stress.

Forbes Advisor ranked South Dakota as the second most expensive state for healthcare based on a recent KFF health tracking poll. According to the poll, nearly 40% of adults worry about being able to cover the cost of their healthcare services.

South Dakota ranked fourth and fifth for the highest average deductible for people with single health insurance and family health insurance coverage through their employer.

Executive Director of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of the Black Hills Bonnie Spain said South Dakota has many small businesses and the cost of health insurance for these employers can be high, making it hard for employers to offer health insurance to their employees. Spain added that health insurance is something many need to be able to budget for.

“Insurance itself is expensive, and I’ll have people that tell me ‘I’m not taking health insurance because I can’t afford it’ and that’s a risky position to be in because you can’t afford not to have it too. It’s a matter of you really need to be able to budget it for consumers,” Spain said.

North Carolina ranked as the most expensive state for healthcare while Hawai`i was ranked as the most affordable.

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