"Healthy" States -- Garbage in, garbage out

The report below claims that various "blue" (Democrat-leaning) U.S. States are much healthier than "Red" (GOP-voting) States. You see why when you read what counts as an index of "health": "The report is based on factors such as personal behaviors, the environment people live and work in, decisions by public and elected officials, and the quality of medical care delivered by health professionals". Note that quality of medical care is only one inclusion. The other criteria are non-health criteria and appear to reflect the degree to which the States are Leftist in their practices. The report is in other words a quite childish attempt to "load the dice" and present "blue" States in a better light

An annual report released Tuesday put Minnesota at the top of its health rankings for the fourth straight year, while concluding that the nation’s health improved slightly. The report by United Health Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit foundation funded by the health care company UnitedHealth Group, said Americans are 0.3 percent healthier than they were a year ago.

The report is based on factors such as personal behaviors, the environment people live and work in, decisions by public and elected officials, and the quality of medical care delivered by health professionals. Examples include smoking, motor vehicle deaths, high school graduation rates, children in poverty, access to care and incidence of preventable disease.

Dr. Reed Tuckson, senior vice president of the United Health Foundation, called the report a “call to action for all of us” to make the nation healthier. “We can do better and our children deserve better,” he said. Minnesota, which has held the top spot in 11 of the 17 years of the survey, was cited for, among other things, its low rate of uninsured (8.4 percent), low percentage of children in poverty (10 percent), and low infant mortality rate (5.1 deaths per 1,000 live births).

Vermont was second on the list, followed by New Hampshire, Hawaii and Connecticut. At the other end, the report listed Louisiana as the least-healthy state, followed by Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas.

The report also points out states that have made the most progress in overall health since last year, as well as those that have regressed the most. Illinois saw the biggest gain in the past year, jumping three to a ranking of 25. The report credited the state for decreasing child poverty by 13 percent and the prevalence of smoking by 10 percent. Other states saw health gains. Ohio was cited for cutting smoking statewide by 14 percent and increasing immunization coverage by six percent. Wisconsin rose three places to a ranking of 10, largely due to lowering the number of children in poverty by 24 percent, its high rate of high school graduation and low violent crime rate. Kansas was also noteworthy for a low rate of uninsured, smoking and incidence of infectious disease, the report said.

Source

(For more postings from me, see TONGUE-TIED, EDUCATION WATCH, GREENIE WATCH, POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH, FOOD & HEALTH SKEPTIC, GUN WATCH, SOCIALIZED MEDICINE, AUSTRALIAN POLITICS, DISSECTING LEFTISM and EYE ON BRITAIN. My Home Page. Email me (John Ray) here.)

No comments:

Post a Comment

All comments containing Chinese characters will not be published as I do not understand them