There's been a lot of discussion, arguing, and shouting about healthcare over the last few months. What to do about a failing Affordable Care Act, whether to repeal and replace, how we're going to pay for it, etc. But what about the state of healthcare in Illinois? Where do we stand when compared to the nation in general?

When it comes to numbers-crunching comparisons, personal-finance site WalletHub is my usual go-to source. They took a look at healthcare in America by starting with an interesting number: $10,000.  Today, the average American spends nearly $10,000 per year on personal health care, according to the most recent estimates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and that figure is expected to increase over time.

Here's what WalletHub looked at:

To determine where Americans receive the best and worst health care in the U.S., WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 35 measures of cost, accessibility and outcome.

Before we take a look at the breakdown of Illinois' numbers, let's run down the 5 best and 5 worst states in America for healthcare. First, the 5 best:

1) Hawaii

2) Iowa

3) Minnesota

4) New Hampshire

5) District of Columbia

Now the 5 at the bottom of the list:

47) North Carolina

48) Arkansas

49) Alaska

50) Mississippi

51) Louisiana

Here in the Land of Lincoln, we've sewed up the #19 spot, putting us ahead of #21 Wisconsin, #27 Michigan, #30 Indiana, #36 Kentucky, and #37 Missouri.

Health Care in Illinois (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
17th – Avg. Monthly Insurance Premium
15th – Hospital Beds per Capita
16th – Physicians per Capita
23rd – Dentists per Capita
12th – Physician Medicare-Acceptance Rate
23rd – % of Insured Adults Aged 18 to 64
5th – % of Insured Children Aged 0 to 17
30th – % of At-Risk Adults with No Routine Doctor Visit in Past Two Years
32nd – % of Adults with No Dental Visit in Past Year
18th – % of Medical Residents Retained

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