RI Ranked Among Worst States in New England to Have a Baby

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RI Ranked Among Worst States in New England to Have a Baby

RI ranked among worst states in New England to have a baby
Rhode Island is ranked as one of the worst states in New England to have a baby. 

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Rhode Island is the second worst state in New England to have a baby, ranked ahead of only Maine. 

In New England, RI ranks behind Vermont, who ranks #1 overall, Massachusetts, who ranks #2 overall, New Hampshire, who ranks #4 overall and Connecticut, who ranks #6 overall. 

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RI ranks #15 overall ahead of Maine, who ranks #17 overall. 

“What should you expect when you’re expecting? Besides possibly the greatest joy of your life, you can expect a lot of extra expenses. Between one-time costs such as a crib and stroller and ongoing ones including diapers and formula, it’s easy to go over budget.One of the biggest expenses to keep in mind is medical bills. According to The Economist, the average conventional delivery in the U.S. costs over $10,000, more expensive than the birth of Britain’s latest royal baby. Whether or not you have insurance naturally plays a big role as well,” said WalletHub. 

RI’s Rankings 

  • 36th Best - Cost
  • 6th Best - Healthcare 
  • 9th Best - Baby Friendliness 
  • 22nd Best - Family Friendliness 
  • 33rd - Highest Hospital Conventional Delivery Charges 
  • 47th - Highest Avg. Annual Infant Care Costs 


The Rankings 

Rhode Island ranks behind Hawaii and Iowa, who are ranked 13th and 14th overall respectively. 

RI ranks ahead of Oregon and Maine, who rank 16th and 17th respectively. 

Vermont is ranked as the best state in the country to have a baby, while Mississippi is ranked last. 

See the full rankings in the map below: 

Source: WalletHub


The Method 

In order to determine the best and worst states to have a baby, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across four key dimensions: 1) Cost, 2) Health Care, 3) Baby-Friendliness and 4) Family-Friendliness.

We evaluated those dimensions using 26 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for expectant parents and newborns.

Finally, we determined each state and the District’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Cost – Total Points: 20

  • • Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • • Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • • Average Annual Cost of Early Child Care: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • • Average Health-Insurance Premiums: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • • Current Status of Medicaid Expansion Decision: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

  • • Cost of Babysitter/ Nanny: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • • Cost of Newborn Screening: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

 

Health Care – Total Points: 40

  • • Infant Mortality Rate: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Maternal Mortality Ratio (per 100,000 Live Births): Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Rate of Low Birth-Weight: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Rate of Preterm Births: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Share of Children with All Seven Recommended Vaccines: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)

  • • Quality of Women’s Hospitals: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)

  • • Quality of Pediatric Neonatology Facilities: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)

  • • Midwives & Obstetrician-Gynecologists per Capita: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Fertility Clinics per Capita: Quarter Weight (~0.82 Points)
  • • mPINC Survey Score: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)

  • • Prenatal Care Access: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)
  • • Share of Children Aged 9-35 Months who Received Developmental Screening using a Parent-Completed Screening Tool: Full Weight (~3.27 Points)


 

Baby-Friendliness – Total Points: 20

  • • Parental-Leave Policy Score: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
  • • Mom Groups per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  • • Child-Care Centers per Capita: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  • • Share of Nationally Accredited Child-Care Centers: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  • • Birth Rate: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  • Family-Friendliness – Total Points: 20
  • • Family-Friendliness: Full Weight (~20.00 Points)
     

RI Healthcare Disciplinary Actions August 2017- August 2018

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