Where Does Illinois Rank Among Best and Worst States for Doctors?

Illinois ranks near the bottom when it comes to states that are the most welcoming to doctors, says a new study.

With the practice medicine undergoing rapid change in recent years and medical students graduating with an average of $180,000 in debt, “it’s fair to expect a certain measure of difference in terms of the working environments faced by doctors across the nation,” says the financial research firm WalletHub in the introduction to its study, “2016’s Best & Worst States for Doctors.”

The study looked at a number of factors that might be important to doctors, including annual mean wage adjusted for cost of living, monthly starting salary, number of hospitals, percentage of population with health insurance, competition and malpractice insurance costs.

But state and local governments also affect the livelihoods of doctors in their communities. Loyola University Chicago associate professor Holly J. Mattix-Kramer tells WalletHub doctors have to pick up the slack when states aren’t doing enough:

States that are reducing support for public health issues such as closing down mental health clinics or senior care services (Illinois) creates a big burden for physicians. These gaps in ambulatory care are then replaced by higher emergency room visits, increased hospitalizations and repeat hospitalizations.

Take a look at where Illinois ranks and how we compare to the rest of the states, according to WalletHub.

Like what you see here from Reboot Illinois? Then sign up for our daily email to get more great content right to your email.