When WalletHub asked its panel of experts how Americans could minimize their health-related expenditures, UC San Francisco professor James Kahn pulled no punches: "Move to a country with universal health coverage." "Honestly, there are no good ways to minimize health spending in the U.S.," he said. "One in four American adults currently has medical debt. That is about 65 million people." A recent report from Kaiser Health News estimated that number a bit higher at 100 million Americans carrying health care debt. That amounts to 41% of all adults in the U.S. On finding the right balance between level of medical coverage and cost of premium, Drexel University's Sandra L. Bloom was equally bleak: "I have no tips – it is a nightmare. The system is completely broken unless you are on Medicare or in the military – or have enough money to hire a 'concierge' doctor." Health care costs were already high before the pandemic struck. The most recent estimates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revealed that national health expenditures grew 9.7% to $4.1 trillion in 2020, and are expected to continue to grow at an average annual rate of 5.4% to reach $6.2 trillion by 2028. Currently, CMS reports, Americans spend $12,530 on health care a year. West Virginia University professor Christopher Plein emphasized addressing the often-daunting gulf between medical coverage and access—not limited solely to cost. "Factors that some of us might take for granted, such as the availability of transportation or the proximity of nearby healthcare providers, might come into play for those who are poor, without reliable transportation or live in remote areas," he said. WalletHub convened this panel of experts around its study of the best and worst states in the U.S. for health care in 2022. The study compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across the key dimensions of cost, access, and outcomes. Those dimensions were evaluated using several metrics, including average monthly insurance premiums, medical professionals per capita, and life expectancy. Mississippi's health care system was ranked #51 on the list, with WalletHub pointing out the state's high infant mortality rate and stroke & heart disease rates. Alabama and Louisiana followed, both of which ranked in the top five for highest average monthly insurance premiums. See our slideshow above for WalletHub's best states in the nation for health care, and click here for the full study.