Prognosis Negative: Or, Texas Ranks Low When It Comes to Kids’ Health Care

The Commonwealth Fund today released its rankings of states based on the quality of health care available to children — and Texas, well, we didn’t so well. Using 13 performance indicators of “access, quality, costs, equity, and the potential to lead healthy lives,” the report puts Texas at No. 46 on the list — ahead of only Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Oklahoma. While Texas does well in the “potential to lead long, healthy lives” category (No. 12), the state’s ranking is yanked down by its placement in other categories: access (No. 50), quality (42) and equity (44). (An interactive map summarizes the report’s findings.) Says Dr. Edward Schor, vice president of child development and preventive care at the Commonwealth Fund, “Investing in children is truly an investment in the future. It takes leadership at the state level as well as at the federal level.” –Robert Wilonsky