Health care remains a source of worry for Americans, particularly in the aftermath of COVID-19. According to the most recent report from the CMS's National Health Expenditure Accounts, health care spending reached $3.8 trillion in 2019, averaging $11,582 per person. Additionally, over half of respondents to AccessOne's COVID-19 Consumer Survey said they were worried about losing their health insurance because of the pandemic, and 68% were worried they would be unable to pay for care. That study also revealed that high-income earners were more likely to delay non-emergency but necessary surgeries due to cost concerns.

MoneyRates.com's annual Vital Signs rankings suggest some states are better prepared to meet the challenges posed by the continued presence of the pandemic.

To compile its report, MoneyRates.com used data from the US Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Each state was ranked according to its performance in eight categories, including health insurance coverage, infant mortality rates, and medical office staffing. The states were then classified in the report by their degrees of overall "health"—robust, healthy, average, frail, and critical condition.